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cryoDuck Tokyo Days 2026

Tokyo | May 11–13, 2026

Shaping the future of academic and industrial cryo-EM facilities — advancing resolution, throughput, automation, and new applications.

About the Conference

cryoDuck Tokyo Days 2026 is a focused international meeting that will bring together cryo-EM facility managers, industry practitioners, and method developers to shape the next generation of cryo-EM with a particular emphasis on empowering drug discovery.

Over three days, participants will examine the complete workflow from sample preparation and imaging to data processing and applications through symposium talks, roundtable discussions, and site visits. The program will highlight innovations for advancing resolution, increasing throughput, driving automation, and reducing the time and cost to structure.

A central theme is accessibility: how facilities can train more users, serve broader research communities, and scale capacity through new technologies and approaches. Sessions will also explore sample preparation, cryo-ET and emerging use cases in drug discovery. Visits to KEK’s cryo-EM and synchrotron facilities and the JEOL demo center will provide unique perspectives on infrastructure and innovation.

By bringing the community together, cryoDuck Tokyo Days 2026 will sketch the future of cryo-EM facilities and their expanding role in both drug discovery and fundamental research.

Confirmed Speakers & Topics

  • Toshia Senda (KEK) – Building a cryo-EM facility with a synchrotron mindset

  • Toshio Moriya (KEK) – Cloud solutions for training large user communities and enabling compound screening

  • Jonathan Bouvette (Princeton University) – Fully automated data collection with SmartScope

  • Radostin Danev (University of Tokyo) – Narrow-gap optics pushing the limits of cryo-EM at 200 kV

  • Colin Gauvin (Superluminal Medicines) – Automated SmartScope data collection for GPCR structure determination

  • Christoph Wigge (Resolution Rebels) – Sample preparation innovations for single-particle analysis and electron tomography

  • Takeshi Murata (Chiba Universitu) - Visualizing off-target pharmacology in hERG and Pgp

 More speakers to be announced soon…

Call for Abstracts

We welcome abstracts for short talks from facility managers, industrial users, and method developers who are advancing the future of cryo-EM. Submissions that highlight innovations with impact on drug discovery and translational research are particularly encouraged.

Topics of interest include:

  • Advances or automation in sample preparation, imaging, and processing

  • Success stories and solutions for overcoming challenges in cryo-EM–enabled drug discovery

  • Advances in emerging applications, including electron tomography (ET) and new uses of cryo-EM in drug discovery

  • Best practices for optimizing shared facility usage, scheduling, and access to high-demand instrumentation
  • Career pathways in cryo-EM across technical, facility, industrial, and academic roles

Date: May 11-13, 2026

Early bird: Until Dec 31, 2025

Venue: Akasaka Green Cross (near Tokyo station)

Site visits: KEK (Day 1); JEOL (Day 2)

Status: Registrations / abstracts open

Please contact us for registration, abstracts, and sponsorship options.

Kindly supported by
jeol
Setting new performance benchmarks in cryo-TEM & cryo-FIB-SEM
Program snapshot

Day 1 (May 11)

Venue: KEK in Tsukuba

• Bus transfer from Tokyo Station

• Tours of KEK cryo-EM & synchrotron facilities

• Symposium & roundtable: processing and cloud solutions

• Focus: automated reconstructions, faster to structure for drug discovery

SPA Processing & Cloud

The meeting begins with a bus transfer from Tokyo Station to KEK, where participants will tour KEK’s cryo-EM and synchrotron facilities. This visit highlights the idea of approaching cryo-EM with a synchrotron mindset, focusing on scaling access and building national-level infrastructure.

The scientific program features symposium talks and a roundtable discussion on cryo-EM data processing and cloud-based solutions. Topics will include automated reconstruction pipelines, high-throughput workflows, and strategies for getting faster to more and better structures with an emphasis on enabling drug discovery applications.

Day 2 (May 12)

Venues: Akasaka Green Cross & JEOL Demo Facility in Akishima

• Morning talks at Akasaka Green Cross: optics & automation

• Afternoon visit to JEOL Demo Facility (Akishima)

•  Highlights: cryoARM narrow-gap pole piece, SmartScope automation

Supreme Optics & Automated Data Collection

Our second day begins at the Akasaka Green Cross with symposium talks and roundtable discussions on microscope optics and automated imaging. Sessions will focus on improving resolution, throughput, ease of use, and the cost of data collection. Highlights include demonstrations of the cryoARM narrow-gap pole piece, which brings high-end resolution to intermediate-range microscopes, and full automation with SmartScope, showcasing how automation enables reliable, high-throughput data collection at scale.

In the afternoon, participants will travel by bus to the JEOL Demo Facility in Akishima for an exclusive behind-the-scenes visit.

 

Day 3 (May 13)

Venue: Akasaka Green Cross

• Focus on industrializing sample prep, cryo-ET, and drug discovery applications

• Community roundtable discussion

• Conference dinner

 

Sample Preparation, cryo-ET, and Emerging Applications

Our last day takes place at the Akasaka Green Cross Conference Center. The program focuses on industrializing sample preparation, advancing cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET), and exploring emerging applications of cryo-EM in drug discovery.

Sessions will feature symposium talks and discussions on workflows that increase robustness, scalability, and impact across both academic and industrial settings. The day will conclude with a community roundtable to capture feedback and priorities for the future of cryo-EM facilities, followed by a conference dinner to close the meeting.

 

 

Registration fees

Attending the Day 1 symposium at KEK is free for local scientists, but places are limited. Please contact the organizers to secure a spot.

Full Conference Registration
Includes access to all sessions, site visits and light catering during the day. Conference dinner requires separate registration.

PIs / Facility Managers (Academia)

  • Early Bird (until Dec 31, 2025): USD 400

  • Regular (after Dec 31, 2025): USD 600

Industry

  • Early Bird (until Dec 31, 2025): USD 700

  • Regular (after Dec 31, 2025): USD 900

Students / Postdocs

  • Early Bird (until Dec 31, 2025): USD 300

  • Regular (after Dec 31, 2025): USD 400

Conference Social Night in Tokyo

  • Optional add-on: USD 75 (includes dinner, drinks, and entertainment)

 

Registration & Enquiries

This form can be used for registration, abstract submission, sponsorship interest, and general enquiries.

Transportation & Accomodation

The registration fee includes coffee breaks, lunch, light snacks, use of conference facilities at Akasaka Green Cross, and bus transfers to KEK (Day 1) and JEOL (Day 2).

Accommodation, travel to and from Tokyo, and the optional Conference Social Evening (dinner and entertainment) are not included in the registration fee and should be arranged independently. We will share recommended hotels and local transport guidance soon to help you plan your stay.