Each year, scientifically active Vallee Visiting Professors (VVPs) may apply for a second sabbatical. Late last year, two VVPs stepped away from their desks to explore new settings, build fresh collaborations, broaden their skills, and return with renewed energy.

Ivan Dikic (Director, Institute of Biochemistry II, Goethe University Medical School), who completed his first sabbatical at Harvard Medical School in 2015, spent four weeks at the University of Tokyo hosted by Professor Noboru Mizushima. His stay proved deeply productive, marked by rich scientific exchange, cultural immersion, and strengthened international research ties.

In the Department of Molecular Biology, Dikic engaged in research on endoplasmic reticulum remodelling (ER) via selective autophagy pathways, ER interactions with other organelles e.g. mitochondria via contact sites and used EM-based imaging methods to monitor their dynamics. This research was further promoted by extensive discussions with faculty, postdocs, and students on broader functional aspects of autophagy, organelle biology, and protein quality control. He delivered two well-attended VVP lectures—at the University of Tokyo Medical School on 23 October and at Osaka University a week later—which sparked lively dialogue and new collaborative opportunities. He also met with leading Japanese scientists, including Nobel Laureate Yoshinori Ohsumi, and visited the Institute of Science Tokyo, where interactions with researchers such as Hitoshi Nakatogawa, Masaaki Komatsu, and Kohei Miyazono highlighted the strength of Japan’s biomedical community. His stay coincided with major scientific events, including the ISPO 2025 Conference in Nara and the 100th Anniversary Meeting of the Japanese Biochemical Society in Kyoto. Beyond the lab, Dikic immersed himself in Japanese culture—from exploring shrines and museums to hiking in Nikkō—an experience he described as deeply enriching.

Erin Schuman (Director, MPI for Brain Research, Frankfurt), whose first sabbatical took place in New York in 2022, was hosted this time by Beatriz Rico and Oscar Marin at the Center for Developmental Neurobiology at King’s College, London. Her visit focused on advancing research into how neurons synthesize and degrade proteins at synapses. Working closely with the Rico lab, she helped develop new strategies to generate synaptosomes from human tissue, extending previous work based on rodent samples. A key achievement was demonstrating that synaptosomes can be successfully prepared and sorted from frozen human tissue—a breakthrough that could greatly expand access to high-quality surgical samples. Transcriptomic comparisons revealed minimal differences between fresh and frozen preparations, paving the way for continued collaboration.
Schuman’s sabbatical also included an active schedule of scientific engagement, with highlights such as the Vallee Lecture at King’s College on November 20, presentations at the Francis Crick Institute and the UK DRI Connectome meeting, and numerous discussions with students, postdocs, and faculty.

Both Dikic and Schuman remarked on the warm welcomes they received and the sabbatical’s transformative impact on their research and future collaborations. Their experiences underscore the enduring value of stepping outside one’s daily environment to spark fresh ideas, deepen collaborations, and strengthen the global scientific community.