On November 22, 2024, Professor Firzan Nainu, M.Sc., Ph.D., and three of his students from the Faculty of Pharmacy at Hasanuddin University (Unhas) visited the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS). Director Professor Fumiharu Mieno, Professor Wataru Yamazaki, and Assistant Professor Youdiil Ophinni (Assistant Professor, Hakubi Center for Advanced Research, Kyoto University) warmly welcomed the delegation. The visit provided an opportunity to exchange views on future cooperation in education and research.

Professor Nainu is the head of the Unhas Fly Research Group (UFRG), a research laboratory that primarily utilizes the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) to study various physiological and pathological mechanisms of genetic and infectious diseases, as well as their treatments. This research modality is still relatively new in Indonesia and could open new avenues for studying previously unexplored diseases and population characteristics in the country.

Hasanuddin University is one of the top state universities in Indonesia and a leading academic representative from the eastern part of the country. Under the existing memorandum of understanding between Unhas and Kyoto University, collaborative arrangements between the Faculty of Pharmacy at Unhas and CSEAS will facilitate and further strengthen cooperation between the two universities.