Name: Donald Cameron
Affiliation: Associate Professor, Laboratory of Oncoprotein Kinetics, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo
Travel period: 17-31 October 2026
Destinations: New York University & Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories, United States; McGill University, Montréal & Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada.
After arriving in and acclimatising to New York, I visited the lab of Prof. Liam Holt at New York University. We had just begun a collaboration to modify his nucGEM multimeric proteins to track particle diffusion in the cell. His technique is unique, as it enables particle detection using conventional microscopy platforms as opposed to the highly specialised equipment typically required. Our in-person meeting was extremely beneficial and allowed us to share preliminary data and discuss applications of this technology to future projects. I also presented my work at their Genes, Systems and Computation Seminar Series, and met with several other group leaders to discuss their current research in adjacent areas.
The following day, I travelled by train to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory to attend the Single Biomolecules Symposium, where I had been selected to give a talk on the third day. The event was attended by many leaders in single-molecule tracking. While my recently published work used single-molecule tracking via a collaboration, it was not an area in which I had formal training or expertise. This conference taught me the state-of-the-art practices and current paradigms of the field, and allowed me to present my work to that audience. My presentation was very well received and led to many subsequent discussions. I am now following up with two different researchers regarding potential collaborations.
After returning to New York, I flew to Montréal, Canada, to meet with Prof. Ivan Topisirovic at McGill University. We have known each other for over a decade, since I was a PhD student in Australia, and recently reconnected as he is a frequent attendee and symposium organiser at the Molecular Biology Society of Japan (MBSJ) meetings. After he saw my presentation at the MBSJ meeting in 2025, we began collaborating by performing computer-based molecular dynamics simulations for his ongoing project. During my visit, I met with his students and discussed additional experiments with him. We are now completing our preliminary analyses for a manuscript expected to be submitted early next year, as well as performing exploratory studies for future projects. I was also able to present my work at their weekly seminar series and meet other faculty at McGill University, including the renowned researcher Prof. Nahum Sonenberg.
Following my presentation and meetings at McGill University, we drove down to Kingston, Ontario, where I visited Queen’s University the next day, hosted by Prof. Lynne-Marie Postovit. Once again, I presented my lab’s work and received excellent feedback on our current direction. Along with discussing potential joint projects with Prof. Postovit, I had a very productive meeting with Prof. Zongchao Jia, whose work on polyphosphates has exciting parallels to our own. Upon my return to the lab, we will immediately perform preliminary experiments to evaluate the potential for a formal collaboration. Of note, I also met with Prof. Anna Panchenko, a molecular dynamics simulation specialist. In the last couple of years, we have used LLMs and cloud computing credits available at UTokyo to begin running these simulations without prior background experience. Our meeting was particularly helpful for receiving expert feedback on our data.
To summarise, over the course of 12 days (excluding travel days), I presented at one multi-day conference and visited three universities across four locations in two countries. I received high-quality feedback on my research from leaders in their respective fields and established multiple promising collaborations. As the principal investigator of a new research group that has only existed for two years, it is essential to share our work with the international community and build connections with established groups. Thanks to the Friends of UTokyo, I was able to achieve this, which will greatly favour my lab’s growth and standing in the future.