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Talents grew up in iCONM #4
Open innovation research facilities such as iCONM create innovations based on the highly diversified organization and promote the growth of people through cross-cultural exchange, nurturing people with a broad perspective and integrated expertise. In this series, some of such examples will be introduced. In this fourth installment, we introduce Dr. Gonzalez Carter from Mexico. He came to Japan in 2017 from Imperial College in London, UK. Dr. Carter worked in the iCONM Kataoka/Kinoh Lab as a Post-Doctoral Researcher. By labeling an organ-specific protein with biotin and administering a nanomachine whose outer shell is modified with avidin, it was devised to deliver the nanomachine to the target organ using the binding force of biotin-avidin. In the paper published in PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America), the authors focused on a protein called PECAM1, which is abundantly expressed in cerebral blood vessels, and administered a biotin-conjugated antibody of PECAM1. Subsequently, drug accumulation in cerebral blood vessels was demonstrated by administering avidin-modified nanomachines. He is currently a project leader at a research institute in Spain.
Dr. GONZALEZ CARTER Daniel Angel
Graduation: Imperial College London
Period at iCONM: 2017 – 2020
Position: Post-Doctoral Researcher
Research Theme: Delivery of nano-therapeutics to the brain
Present position: Junior Leader Research Fellow
Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC)
Message to the young researchers:
Moving to Japan was one of the best experiences I have had in my life, both in professional and personal terms.
iCONM is really one of the best nanomedicine institutions in the world. My research progress was greatly enhanced by the cutting-edge facilities I had at my disposal; from chemical synthesis, to cell work, to validation in animal models. Having all of this under one roof really simplified my workload and allowed me to concentrate on the important aspects of my research.
Living in Japan, experiencing such a different culture from my own, was truly stimulating. Even the small things, such as going to the supermarket, were never boring. Besides that, living in such a safe country made life with my young children very easy. I always felt safe letting them run around on their own in the parks and exploring our neighborhood.
Best memory during the stay in Japan:
Apart from the birth of my children, one of the best memories of my stay in Japan was losing my wallet. While this may not sound like such a fond memory in itself, it was such a huge relief when I received a notification from the police station telling me someone had handed it in, and not a single coin was missing.