About the Conference
ASSEMBLING DISCIPLINES
EPIC Assembly project (Emergence of Novel Functional Assembly by Evo-Physico Information Coupling) explores the mechanisms and principles by which advanced and complex biological functions have emerged and been refined in biological history. We specifically focus on the concept of "assemblies", systems composed of heterotypic interacting elements, as a unifying framework that spans molecular to multicellular levels. Assemblies can become combinatorially complex as the number and diversity of constituent elements increase, offering a structural basis for the evolutionary exploration of novel functions.
To tackle this challenging problem, it is essential to integrate insights and techniques from diverse domains, ranging from biology, physics, information science, and mathematics.
In this conference, we ASSEMBLE leading researchers engaged in this cross-disciplinary field to advance the frontiers of integrative science and to explore new avenues for understanding the emergence and evolution of biological functions.
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Day Event
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Speakers
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Participants
Invited Speakers
Antonio Celani
International Centre for Theoretical Physics
Jeremy Beaulieu
University of Arkansas
Paul François
Université de Montréal
Jennifer Schwarz
Syracuse University
Hsuan-yi Chen
National Central University
Suropriya Saha
Max Planck Institute
Wenying Shou
University College London
David Brückner
University of Basel
Tetsuya Hiraiwa
Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica
Lorenzo Di Michele
University of Cambridge
Yongdae Shin
Seoul National University
Hiroaki Matsunami
Duke University
Ikuo Masuho
Sanford Research
Speakers from EPIC Members
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Kyogo Kawaguchi
The University of Tokyo
Masahiro Takinoue
Institute of Science Tokyo
Kazuhiro AOKI
Kyoto University
Yasuka TODA
Institute of Science Tokyo
Daiki UMETSU
Osaka University
Satoshi SAWAI
University of Tokyo
Nen SAITO
Hiroshima University
Ryo HANAI
Institute of Science Tokyo
Kaoru SUGIMURA
University of Tokyo
Tetsuya J. KOBAYASHI
University of Tokyo
Takao K. SUZUKI
Juntendo University
Kazufumi HOSODA
CiNet, NICT
Poster Presentation Guidelines
Poster Session Times
- Mar 14, 16:45–18:30
- Mar 15, 16:45–18:30
Poster size
The poster must fit within 145.6 cm (height) × 103 cm (width); standard sizes such as A0 or B0 are acceptable.
Tentative Schedule
- 09:45-10:00
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Opening remarks - Tetsuya Kobayashi
- 10:00-10:35
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Invited Talk: Decoding behavior with minimal and interpretable agent models - Antonio Celani Understanding how living organisms process sensory information and translate it into decisions is a fundamental problem across biological scales. We address this challenge by introducing a method to reconstruct general decision processes directly from behavioral observations alone. Our agent model is defined by a recurrent dynamics over a discrete set of internal states. We validate our method on synthetic agents and we infer agent models from experimental data of rats performing evidence accumulation and of mice making decisions under uncertainty and in changing environments. In both cases, very few internal states suffice to reproduce the observed behavior with high accuracy.
- 10:35-11:10
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Invited Talk: Signal and Noise in Biodiversity Dynamics - Jeremy Beaulieu
- 11:10-11:20
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Coffee Break
- 11:20-11:55
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Invited Talk: Generative Epigenetic Landscape modelling - Paul François
- 11:55-12:30
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EPIC Member Talk: - Takao Suzuki
- 12:30-14:00
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Lunch Break
- 14:00-14:35
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EPIC Member Talk: - Nen Saito
- 14:35-15:10
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Invited Talk: Mechanochemical Collective Cellular Intelligence in Spheriods - Jennifer Schwarz
- 15:10-15:20
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Coffee Break
- 15:20-15:55
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EPIC Member Talk: - Kaoru Sugimura
- 15:55-16:30
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Invited Talk: How do incorrect ligands help detect a correct ligand? - Hsuan-Yi Chen I will introduce a simple statistical physical model for a cluster of receptors that can have similar properties as T cell receptors. Our numerical simulations show that a cluster of receptors that bind reversibly to two types (correct/incorrect) of ligands in the environment with binding-state coupling between nearest neighboring receptors and a simple kinetic proofreading scheme for the activation/deactivation of receptors can have specific, speedy, and strong response even when there is only one correct ligand. This is achieved by the enhanced binding and lifetime of incorrect ligand-receptor complexes in the presence of a correct one.
- 16:30-16:45
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Coffee Break
- 16:45-18:30
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Poster Session
- 10:00-10:35
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EPIC Member Talk: - Ryo Hanai
- 10:35-11:10
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Invited Talk: Pattern formation in number conserving active systems - Suropriya Saha
- 11:10-11:20
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Coffee Break
- 11:20-11:55
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EPIC Member Talk: Eureka, Ecosystems, and Ultra-Efficient AI Hardware: Beyond Bio- or Brain-Inspired Alone - Kazufumi Hosoda Human Eureka enables us “to solve unexpected problems.” More fundamentally, a central requirement of living systems in evolution is adaptability: “to cope with unpredictable disturbances.” We propose that Eureka-like transitions, organism-level adaptability, and ecosystem-level robustness share common information-processing principles realized by far-from-equilibrium biological assemblies. Motivated by this hypothesis, we take three complementary routes. (i) Brain (highly organized assembly): we measure moments of insight (“Eureka!”) using fMRI and model the underlying dynamics with recurrent neural networks that leverage chaotic exploration to generate insight-like dynamics. (ii) Ecosystems (fully decentralized assemblies): we construct synthetic ecosystems enabling high-throughput tests of robustness and adaptation with no central control. (iii) Hardware: we discuss ultra-energy-efficient computing architectures that harness fluctuations as a substrate for these principles, bridging “bio-inspired” and “brain-inspired” intelligence.
- 11:55-12:30
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Invited Talk: Artificial selection of microbial communities - Wenying Shou Microbial communities perform functions beyond the reach of individual species, ranging from waste digestion to pathogen blockage to cheese fermentation. Community functions are often difficult to engineer, since they arise from complex and mostly unknown interactions among species. One possible approach to improving community function is through artificial community selection. This involves repeatedly selecting and propagating the most desirable communities, akin to classic breeding of livestock and crops. Although community selection is mechanism-agnostic, comparing evolved communities to their ancestors will reveal the mechanisms of resilience. In this talk, I will discuss challenges of community selection, and how to overcome them.
- 12:30-14:00
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Lunch Break
- 14:00-14:35
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Invited Talk: Information flow in self-organized developmental systems - David Brueckner Embryonic development relies on the ability of multi-cellular systems to collectively coordinate the self-organization of precise spatial patterns of cell fates. An inevitable obstacle to such coordination is intrinsic noise at the single-cell level, which constrains the amount of information accessible to cells for fate decisions. While the relevant molecular processes are increasingly well understood, we lack principled frameworks to quantify and predict how cells obtain sufficient information to reliably differentiate into the right fate at the right time and place. I will discuss how combining dynamical systems and information theory provides a mathematical language to analyze biological self-organization across diverse systems. Our approach can be used to define and measure the information content of observed patterns, to functionally assess the importance of various patterning mechanisms, and to predict optimal operating regimes of self-organizing systems. I will demonstrate how our framework reveals mechanisms of self-organization of in vitro stem cell systems in direct connection to experimental data, including intestinal organoids and gastruloids. This framework provides an avenue towards unifying the zoo of chemical and mechanical signaling processes that orchestrate embryonic development.
- 14:35-15:10
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EPIC Member Talk: - Daiki Umetsu
- 15:10-15:20
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Coffee Break
- 15:20-15:55
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EPIC Member Talk: - Satoshi Sawai
- 15:55-16:30
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Invited Talk: Computer simulations of the morphodynamics of dynamic cell assemblies - Tetsuya Hiraiwa Growing cell assemblies cultured in vitro, like organoids and epithelial cysts, provide powerful systems for studying the mechanisms determining the morphology of complex cellular structures, like organs. However, general mechanisms linking cellular behaviors to the emergent morphology of growing cell assemblies remain elusive. In the main part, we introduce our computational studies based on a multicellular phase-field model to investigate the morphodynamics of cell assemblies containing a fluid-filled cavity (lumen), grown from only a few cells, with a particular focus on lumen dynamics [Tanida 2026]. We also compare the results with experimental observations [Lu 2025; Lee 2026].
- 16:30-16:45
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Coffee Break
- 16:45-18:30
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Poster Session
- 10:00-10:35
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EPIC Member Talk: - Kyogo Kawaguchi
- 10:35-11:10
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Invited Talk: Synthetic RNA condensates and organelles - Lorenzo Di Michele Condensation of RNA and proteins forms functional membrane-less organelles that are central to cellular processes. Programming such condensation could enable metabolic engineering and the construction of synthetic cells. I will present a modular platform for engineering de novo RNA condensates from designed, branched RNA nanostructures that fold and assemble during transcription. Up to three orthogonal condensates can form simultaneously and selectively accumulate fluorophores via embedded fluorescent light-up aptamers. The condensates can be genetically encoded and expressed in synthetic cells, allowing control over number and size and enabling protein capture. Interactions can be tuned using linker RNAs to create biphasic condensates with controlled mixing. Finally, I will demonstrate deployment of the platform to engineering non-natural organelles in living E. coli.
- 11:10-11:20
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Coffee Break
- 11:20-11:55
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EPIC Member Talk: - Masahiro Takinoue
- 11:55-12:30
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Invited Talk: Physical organization of biomolecular condensates - Yongdae Shin Biomolecular condensates function in crowded cellular environments, yet how crowding shapes their composition remains unclear. In this talk, I will present an integrated approach using livecell reconstitution, biophysical perturbations, and computational modeling to examine how condensate density influences component behavior. Key concepts that will be discussed include the roles of sizebased exclusion, molecular interactions, and adaptive changes in condensate properties. These ideas offer broader insights into molecular flux and spatial organization in cells and provide a conceptual framework for how condensate density can govern molecular sorting.
- 12:30-14:00
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Lunch Break
- 14:00-14:35
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EPIC Member Talk: - Yasuka Toda
- 14:35-15:10
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Invited Talk: Deciphering Olfaction with Structure, Evolutionary Genomics, and AI - Hiroaki Matsunami Our laboratory investigates the molecular mechanisms of olfaction through functional characterization of odorant receptors (ORs). ORs are remarkable for their large family size and rapid evolutionary diversification. We propose that this diversity is supported by the unique ability of olfactory sensory neurons to fold functional ORs despite cryptic mutations. To test this idea, we developed a consensus OR approach that corrects such mutations and overcomes a major expression barrier, enabling high-level heterologous expression. This strategy has facilitated atomic-level OR structure determination, providing new insights into odor binding and receptor activation.
- 15:10-15:20
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Coffee Break
- 15:20-15:55
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Invited Talk: From Signaling Complexity to Functional Principles in GPCR Biology - Ikuo Masuho GPCRs are central mediators of intercellular communication, detecting hormones and neurotransmitters and translating these cues into distinct cellular responses—such as gene expression, secretion, migration, or excitability—by engaging different G proteins. Using a universal live-cell platform, we quantified in real time the strength and speed of GPCR-driven G protein activation and defined receptor-specific signaling fingerprints. Applying this kinetic framework to more than 100 GPCRs uncovered general rules of coupling selectivity and offers a principled view of how GPCR signaling enables broad physiological control.
- 15:55-16:30
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EPIC Member Talk: - Kazuhiro Aoki
- 16:30-16:35
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Closing Remarks - Tetsuya Kobayashi
- 16:35-17:00
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Open Discussion
- 17:00-
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Reception
Conference Registration
Participation is free of charge.
From young scientists to established leaders, all participants will gain valuable insights. Looking back, this gathering may well be remembered as a historic event.
Register now
Venue
Access Information
Odakyu Line / Tokyo Metro-Chiyoda Line
8-min walk from Higashi-Kitazawa Station
12-min walk from Yoyogi Uehara Station
Keio Inokashira Line
10-min walk from Komaba-Todaimae Station
10-min walk from Ikenoue Station
Details
See "Access" page in Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo.
Map
Sponsors
- JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas (A) "EPIC Assembly: Emergence of Novel Functional Assembly by Evo-Physico Information Coupling" https://epic-assembly.crmind.net/
- Toyota Konpon Research Institute Investigative research project "Principles and Limitations of Frontier Exploration" https://konpon.toyota/exploration/
Co-hosts
- JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas (B) "Life-Nonlife transition" https://life-nonlife.com
- JST CREST (JPMJCR2011) "Decoding of Information in Multi-Sourced Chemical Mixtures and its Applications"
