Keynote Speakers

Shimon Sakaguchi is a renowned immunologist and pioneer in the field of regulatory T cells (Tregs). He is widely recognized as one of the leading scientists in his field and has made significant contributions to our understanding of the immune system and its role in health and disease.

Sakaguchi earned his Ph.D. in immunology from Kyoto University in 1982. He subsequently conducted postdoctoral research in the United States before returning to Japan to join the RIKEN Institute as an Investigator of the Japan Science and Technology Agency and subsequently as the Head of the Department of Immunopathology at Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo. In the early 1990s, Sakaguchi and his team made a groundbreaking discovery that would revolutionize our understanding of the immune system. They identified a new type of T cell, which they called regulatory T cells (Tregs), that had the unique ability to suppress immune responses and prevent autoimmunity.

This discovery was a major breakthrough in the field of immunology and opened up new avenues for research into the mechanisms that regulate immune responses. It also had important implications for the development of new therapies for cancer as well as autoimmune diseases.

Sakaguchi is a highly respected and influential figure in the field of immunology, and his contributions have been widely recognized. He has received numerous awards and honors, including the Paul Elrich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize and the prestigious Robert Koch Prize in 2020, which is awarded for outstanding contributions to the field of immunology.