IUPS Beacon 2026 Physiology ahead: Orchestration of multiple organ systems
“IUPS beacons are intended to be small focused meetings on a timely topic in physiology which will provide participants with an immersive and interactive scientific exchange of ideas that is especially aimed at benefitting early career researchers”
All participants will be outside their scientific comfort zones for several sessions and encouraged to take a new way of looking at their research questions.
Date:
15. 09. – 16.09.2026
Starts: 15 Sept. (Tue) 2026 AM 9:00
Ends: 16 Sept. (Wed) PM 16:30
(full 2 days)
Venue:
Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
Okazaki Conference Center (OCC) (belongs to 3 national institutions in Okazaki)
Co-host:
National Institute for Physiological Sciences (NIPS), Okazaki
Topics:
— Thermoregulation and fever
— Metabolism, obesity, and energy homeostasis
— Feeding and other instinctive behaviors
— Brain–endocrine homeostasis and
hypothalamic regulation
— Thirst and salt appetite
— Exercise, stress, brain, and
cardiovascular interactions
— Gut–brain communication,
microbiome, and enteric neurons
— Neuroimmunology
— Biological clocks, rhythms, and sleep
— Parent–infant relationships
— Puberty onset
Confirmed invited speakers:
Overseas
Rui Chang
Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven
Shih-Kuo Chen
Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei
Coco Chu
Institute for Immunology, Tsinghua University, Beijing
Henning Fenselau
Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Köln
Eunha Kim
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul
Hong-Gyun Lee
School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul
Zhe Zhang
Institute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai
Cheng Zhan (pending)
Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Univ of Science and Technology of China, Hefei
Domestic
Teppei Goto
Institute for Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto
Takeshi Hiyama
Graduate School and Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Yonago
Takako Ichiki
Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata University, Niigata
Satoshi Koba
Tottori University Faculty of Agriculture, Tottori
Kumi Kuroda
School of Life Science and Technology, Institute of Science Tokyo, Tokyo
Kazuhiro Nakamura
Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya
Takashi Yoshimura
Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya
Organizing Committee:
Professor Kazuhiro Nakamura (Chairperson) (Nagoya University)
Professor Takeshi Hiyama (Vice-Chairperson) (Tottori University)
Professor Satoshi Koba (Member) (Tottori University)
Professor Yoshihiro Kubo (Member, Secretary-General) (NIPS, President of IUPS)
Sessions:
— 15 Invited Lectures (8 overseas, 7 domestic)
— Posters with 2min Flash Talk
— 4 short talks (15 min) from special pick-up posters
(Note: We plan to give travel grant to some poster presenters. Details will be announced later.)