“Biotechnology” and “Blockchain”
The event took a dual focus on biotechnology and blockchain, examining the technical and ethical challenges of real-world implementation. In the biotech track, cutting-edge U.S. startups showcased innovations such as AI-integrated bioengineering and DIY genetic editing—reflecting the latest trends in “street bio.” The blockchain sessions covered topics from decentralized networks and economic ecosystems to regulatory frameworks, presented from intersecting industrial, academic, and governmental viewpoints.
Global IT History
- Bitcoin’s price surges from $1,000 at the start of the year to over $20,000, pushing total market capitalization past $600 billion
- In Japan, the revised Payment Services Act establishes a formal exchange framework; the U.S. SEC introduces new regulations, while China imposes a full ban on ICOs
Expansion of the AR (Augmented Reality) Market
- The global AR market reaches $3.1 billion, with over 200 million mobile AR users
- Apple’s release of ARKit accelerates adoption, instantly enabling hundreds of millions of iOS devices for AR use and spawning over 2,000 AR apps within three months
Advances in AI and Neurotechnology
- Neuralink, founded the previous year by Elon Musk, raises $27 million to develop brain–machine interface (BMI) technology connecting the brain and computers
- Research on direct brain–computer interfacing is made public
Speakers
Hiroaki Kitano
Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc.
Patrick Boyle
Ginkgo Bioworks
LeRoux Jooste
Akili Interactive Labs Inc.
Eli Lyons
Tupac Bio
Tito Jankowski
Impossible Labs Inc.
Takayuki Ito
YCAM InterLab
Ron Shigeta
IndieBio
Georg Tremmel
BioClub
Phil Libin
All Turtles
Masaru Tomita
Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University
Toru Seo
Pfizer Inc.
Douglas Crawford
QB3@953
Shinobu Suzuki
Nippon Boehringer Ingelheim Co., Ltd.
Bharatt Chowrira
PureTech Health
Shinji Fukuda
Metagen, Inc.
Shoko Takahashi
Genequest Inc.
Takeru Hiki
Welby, Inc.
Eric Elenko
PureTech Health
Toshiyuki Iwata
PeptiDream Inc.
Marko Ahtisaari
Sync Project
Rusty Russell
Blockstream
Shin’ichiro Matsuo
MIT Media Lab
Hideki Sunahara
Graduate School of Media Design, Keio University
Naoyuki Iwashita
Kyoto University
Cory Fields
Bitcoin Core Developer
Eric Lombrozo
Bitcoin Core Developer
Atsushi Santo
Japan Exchange Group
Greg Li
The Bitfury Group
Ian Miers
ZCash
Meltem Demirors
Digital Currency Group
Jeremy Rubin
MIT Digital Currency Initiative
Angela Walch
St. Mary’s University School of Law
Kanta Matsuura
The University of Tokyo
Kazue Sako
NEC Security Research Labs.
George Li
WeTrust.io
Nat Sakimura
Nomura Research Institute
Koichiro Eto
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
Izumi Okoshi
DENTSU INC.
Koichi Nakamura
Idein Inc.
Tatsuya Kurosaka
Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University
Kaoru Hayashi
Representative Director, President Executive Officer and Group CEO, Digital Garage, Inc.
Joichi Ito
Director and Co-Founder, Digital Garage, Inc./ Director, MIT Media Lab
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