On October 16th, Professor Jochen O. Mierau, the Scientific Director of Lifelines and a professor of public health economics at the University of Groningen, along with Mr. Sebastiaan den Bak, Senior Advisor at the Innovation & Science Department of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Japan, visited ToMMo. Lifelines is a large-scale three-generation cohort study conducted in the Netherlands, and it has long established a close relationship with ToMMo.

Professor Mierau first met with Executive Director Yamamoto. The group then toured the supercomputer, cryo-electron microscopy, biobank, Sendai Community Support Center and sequencing analysis facility diligently.

ToMMo and Lifelines share significant similarities as large-scale cohort studies targeting the general population. During the discussions, we discussed the importance and challenges of ensuring participants return for follow-up studies over the long term. We also delved into the relationship between cohort studies and environmental issues, allowing for a broad and comprehensive exchange of ideas.

Professor Mierau also gave a presentation at the seminar.
Seminar details (available only in Japanese)