東北大学Neuro Global
国際共同大学院プログラム

医学系研究科
D4 ZHOU Yuan

The 28th annual meeting of RNA Society is a great and professional event. The whole process is fresh and exciting to me. Although the schedule of each day is tight, I still enjoy every single seminar and social event. I am going to share my experience in this report from three aspects: academic improvement, soft skills acquisition, and interesting insights.

Academic improvements: My work Integrated Transcriptomics, Epi-Transcriptomics, and Translatomics reveal level-specific regulation of neuronal differentiation was selected as one of the poster presentations in this meeting. My presentation was on the fourth day of this meeting, which was almost close to the end. Therefore, based on the information that I gathered from several seminars and conversations with other researchers, I felt that few people would be interested in my presentation. To be specific, RNA structure and mRNA therapy are the two main trends in this meeting. However, during the two and half hour presentation, it was difficult to have a break. I kept presenting my work and answering people’s questions and just socializing with peers, which was out of my expectations.

Like last time, the most frequent question that I was asked was “How do you the neuronal differentiation by SH-SY5Y?” A lot of researchers just dropped by to check with me about the details of my differentiation protocol. Therefore, I shared my special tips in detail with them, like my special treatment on FBS and my special techniques in pipetting to avoid the unattachment of differentiated cells. This interactive activity enabled us to exchange details in research with each other. I received such great encouragement when my peers and predecessors thought that my tips were creative and respected my work.

Another impressive thing during my presentation is that my listeners preferred to listen to my story from the beginning to the end. I guess systematic biology is a new subject to researchers and more efforts need to be made to develop it. So, researchers were more curious about how I constructed my story and how I systematically explained my result. With massive data acquired by performing RNA sequencing and RNA stability profiling and later Ribosome Profiling, I feel that studying only one gene wastes this valuable data. My systematic study will continue to discuss the whole landscape of neuronal differentiation at the level of transcription and post-transcription and translation. Moreover, compared to transcriptome and translatome, researchers were more interested in mRNA stability. In my study, I simplified the existing method of mRNA stability profiling. I emphasized this novel high throughput way to each listener about the principle of this design and the definition of stabilized genes and destabilized genes.

Insightful ideas from researchers with different backgrounds are a bonus of attending this meeting. For example, RNA binding protein is another keyword in my research. I predicted three important RNA-binding proteins which may be responsible for neuronal differentiation. Although I did not present this part of the results in my poster, I exchanged opinions with researchers who had more experience in studying RNA binding proteins when I mentioned I also did a lot of work in PTB and HuR but needed to find a better way to present it.

Moreover, beyond my research, I also participated in various lectures and seminars to broaden my knowledge. The organizer of the meeting invited Professor Yigong Shi to do the opening speech. I feel, for the first time, the beauty of Structure Biology. Professor Shi presented the new finding of the spliceosome in his group, which was a great lecture. I felt that Professor Shi not only respected research but also respected each of his Ph.D. student by speaking up about the contribution of the Ph.D. student to each part.

Soft Skills Acquisition: Attending this international meeting offers more than just academic improvements to me; it provides comprehensive training. One crucial skill that I developed through my participation in this event is multitasking. To ensure smooth attendance at the six-day meeting, I had to make extensive preparations within a tight one-month timeframe, while also managing my research at a critical stage. During this period, I realized that the only way to address this challenge was to maintain a high level of organization. Consequently, I prioritized all the tasks in my schedule and mentally rehearsed to identify potential risks. Ultimately, I completed my first trip to Singapore without compromising the progress of my research. I believe this ability will enable me to handle future research work more efficiently and make wise decisions even when facing pressure.

Moreover, I believe that my presentation skills have significantly improved through the accumulation of experiences attending academic meetings. My first experience presenting a poster was at the 44th annual meeting of the Molecular Biology Society of Japan. At that time, my poster was rather ordinary and lacked appeal. Without prior experience in presenting a poster, I simply recited the information I had prepared for my audience. However, through this meeting, I learned how to make my poster more engaging and comprehensible, and I discovered ways to present my research interactively.

Another factor that contributed to my enjoyment of presenting is the improvement in my oral English proficiency, both in everyday life and academic settings. Consequently, my language became more vibrant and engaging. When asked questions such as "Why did you choose this model?" or "How did you approach RNA stability?" I was able to provide clear explanations in response. The numerous seminars offered by Neuro Global allowed me to immerse myself in an English academic environment, fostering the habit of conducting research in English.

Last but not least, I trained my critical thinking by attending this meeting. As I listen to the presentations, I notice that two researchers have presented conflicting results and interpretations of the data. One researcher claims that his method is effective in small RNA finding and exploration, while another researcher argues that the same treatment has limited or no impact. This situation prompts me to engage in critical thinking. I analyze the data presented, consider the methodologies used, and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each researcher's arguments. I begin to question the underlying factors that may have influenced the disparate results, such as differences in sample size, experimental design, or data analysis methods. To gain a deeper understanding, I actively participate in the discussion session following the presentations. I ask thoughtful questions to both presenters, seeking clarification on their methodologies, potential biases, and limitations. Through this engagement, I develop a more nuanced perspective on the topic, recognizing that the interpretation of data is influenced by various factors, including experimental design and the researcher's biases.

Furthermore, I engage in conversations with other attendees who are also interested in the topic. These discussions allow you to consider alternative viewpoints and challenge your assumptions. I weigh the evidence presented by different researchers, critically analyze the strengths and weaknesses of their arguments, and evaluate the overall validity and reliability of the research.

Insightful thinking: Attending academic meetings is necessary, at least for me. It makes me feel that I am connecting with others and that I am not alone in making efforts in understanding neuronal differentiation.

Reading their works online and talking with them are completely different experiences. Their words and suggestions could help me to avoid meaningless mistakes and inspire me to keep working. On the other hand, I think I represented my lab to do this academic meeting. Therefore, I paid more attention to anything that may benefit my lab or my colleague’s work. For example, one of my colleagues is working on new drug inhibitor development which is a new area in our lab. I will read the corresponding poster and talk with the presenter and see whether I can promote collaboration or stay in touch.

I appreciate the funding offered by Neuro Global Program Fellowship!