The Speakers

New Insights on the Origin and Mechanism of Eukaryotic Clocks
This talk introduces RUVBL2 as a conserved, slow ATPase that helps determine circadian timing across eukaryotes. It highlights mechanistic parallels between eukaryotic RUVBL proteins and cyanobacterial KaiC. The presentation also explores whether eukaryotes may contain KaiA- and KaiB-like functional counterparts.

The Circadian Clock in Layers: From Molecular Mechanism to Alzheimer’s Pathology
This plenary connects circadian regulation across molecular, cellular, and clinical levels. It covers protein-level clock control in Drosophila, astrocytic circadian regulation in mice, and biomarkers in aging humans. Together, the work shows how core clock mechanisms scale from intracellular timing to Alzheimer’s-related pathology.

Why Do We Sleep? The Role of Calcium and Phosphorylation in Sleep
This talk presents calcium as a central regulator of sleep rather than focusing on traditional “sleep substances.” It discusses how calcium-dependent kinases and phosphatases act as molecular switches controlling sleep onset, maintenance, and termination. The presentation also links these mechanisms to anesthesia and proposes a unifying framework for sleep-wake synaptic dynamics.

Master Clock-Thalamic-Prefrontal Circuit Controls Circadian Social Priority
This talk shows that the priority between competing social drives, such as social novelty and sexual preference, changes across the circadian cycle. It identifies an SCN-RE-mPFC circuit in which SCN-VIP neurons influence prefrontal social behavior through Vipr2-expressing neurons in the thalamic nucleus reuniens. The findings reveal how the master clock helps the brain resolve competing motivated behaviors by aligning social priorities with internal physiological state.

To Sleep or Not to Sleep: How Drosophila Integrates Environmental Cues and Internal Needs
This presentation explores how the fly brain integrates environmental signals and internal physiological needs to regulate sleep. It identifies temperature-sensitive clock neurons that adjust light input pathways and seasonal sleep architecture. It also uncovers ascending neurons that relay peripheral fatigue signals to promote sleep pressure.

Set2/SETD2-Mediated H3K36 Methylation and Transcription Elongation Control Circadian Clock Robustness and Period
This talk identifies Set2/SETD2 as a conserved epigenetic regulator of circadian timing. It shows that transcription elongation and H3K36 methylation are critical for proper clock gene expression and rhythmic robustness. The mechanism is conserved from Drosophila pacemaker neurons to mammalian cells.

Regulation of Mammalian CRY with Small Molecule Compounds from In Vitro to In Vivo for Therapeutic Applications
This presentation introduces small-molecule modulators that selectively target CRY1 and CRY2. It shows how these compounds can alter behavioral rhythms and glucose regulation in disease-relevant mouse models. The work supports isoform-selective clock modulation as a promising therapeutic strategy.

Circadian Dynamics in Aging and Neurodegeneration: Therapeutic Interventions
This presentation investigates how aging and neurodegenerative disorders disrupt circadian timing systems. Using rodent models, it examines behavioral, molecular, biochemical, and neuroinflammatory changes across time. It further evaluates melatonin and nutraceutical interventions as ways to restore circadian integrity.

A Cancer–Lactate–Neuroinflammation Axis Disrupts Sleep–Wake Regulation, and Its Microbial Rescue by Cutibacterium avidum–Derived Propionate
This talk will present a newly identified cancer–lactate–neuroinflammation axis that disrupts sleep–wake regulation and contributes to fatigue in cancer. Tae Kim will show how tumor-associated lactate accumulation promotes neuroinflammation in sleep-regulatory brain regions, leading to fragmented sleep and impaired wakefulness. The presentation will also highlight how Cutibacterium avidum and its metabolite propionate can reverse these effects, suggesting a microbiome-based strategy to alleviate sleep disturbance and fatigue in cancer.

Development of Novel Therapeutic Strategies for Advanced Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder
This short talk will present new therapeutic strategies for advanced sleep-wake phase disorder using a familial advanced sleep phase mouse model. Keisuke Naito will discuss the evaluation of a CRY protein stabilizer designed to lengthen circadian period and correct advanced sleep-wake timing. The study highlights the translational potential of clock-targeted therapies for circadian rhythm sleep disorders.

Mouse Circadian Proteome Atlas and Post-Translational Regulations in the Circadian Clock
This presentation introduces a large-scale mouse circadian proteome atlas spanning 32 tissues. It reveals tissue-specific temporal protein expression and phosphorylation dynamics, including in a familial sleep phase mutant model. The work emphasizes the importance of post-translational regulation in circadian timekeeping.

Phase Separation in the Spatiotemporal Regulation of Circadian Clocks
This talk explores how phase separation contributes to circadian timing at the cellular level. It highlights roles for ATXN2 and ATXN2L in rhythmic translation and condensate regulation in the SCN. The work suggests that biomolecular condensates help coordinate circadian clocks and other dynamic cell processes.

Temporal Orchestration of PSEUDO-RESPONSE REGULATORS Confers the Circadian Clock Responses to Multiple Environmental Timing Factors
This talk examines how sequentially expressed PRR proteins fine-tune circadian timing in Arabidopsis. It shows that overlapping PRR activities are required to maintain a precise 24-hour rhythm. The work further demonstrates how different PRRs shape clock sensitivity to light, temperature, nitrogen, and iron cues.

From Flowering to Senescence: ZEITLUPE Coordinates Developmental Timing via the Circadian Clock
This talk focuses on how the blue-light photoreceptor ZEITLUPE regulates developmental timing in plants. It shows that ZTL controls both flowering and senescence through clock-linked mechanisms. The findings position ZTL as a key regulator of sequential developmental transitions in Arabidopsis.

Wearable Sleep Assessment in Psychiatry: From Validation to Digital Therapeutics
This talk presents a framework for translating wearable sleep data into psychiatric care. It covers validation, digital phenotyping, disease prediction, and wearable-guided intervention. The work positions wearables as practical tools connecting sleep monitoring with clinical decision-making and therapeutics.

Getting the Basics Right: Wearables as a Clinical Health Partner for Sleep Assessment
This talk examines how commercial wearables can support sleep assessment by providing continuous, real-world data on sleep and activity. It also highlights key limitations, including missing data, inconsistent definitions across devices, and poor characterization of noncanonical sleep patterns in clinical populations. The presentation argues that solving these foundational issues is essential for the responsible clinical use of wearables in sleep medicine.

From Intrinsic Circadian Phase to Optimal Sleep Windows: Wearable-Based Digital Biomarkers for Health Risk Prediction
This talk presents a wearable-based approach to infer intrinsic circadian phase beyond simple sleep-wake behavior. It introduces sleep-circadian alignment, defined by comparing model-predicted optimal sleep windows with actual sleep timing, as an interpretable digital biomarker. The framework aims to improve prediction of sleep, mood, metabolic, and other circadian-related health risks for precision sleep and circadian medicine.

Smartwatch-based Circadian Disruption Markers for Real-World Psychiatric Assessment
This talk presents smartwatch-based digital markers that quantify multiple forms of circadian disruption in real-world settings. Using large-scale longitudinal data, it shows bidirectional links between circadian misalignment and mood, including clinically meaningful changes in depression scores. The findings support digital circadian biomarkers as promising tools for personalized psychiatric assessment.