The title of my presentation was "Investigation of Methods for Carbon Stable Isotope Ratio Analysis of Amino Acids and Nucleotides Using LC-IRMS." This study aimed to measure the carbon stable isotope ratio (δ¹³C) of amino acids and nucleotides with high accuracy and precision using liquid chromatography–isotope ratio mass spectrometry (LC-IRMS), targeting applications in food authentication, metabolomics research, and environmental analysis. In particular, we improved upon the conventional system by replacing the combustion furnace with a high-temperature combustion method at 400°C to enhance measurement precision, and demonstrated through the analysis of components extracted from actual plant and animal samples that differences among biological species are clearly reflected in the δ¹³C values of individual components.

Attending other presentations gave me the opportunity to engage with discussions on more detailed analyses of biomolecules and the latest mass spectrometry technologies, which I found highly stimulating. It reinforced my appreciation for how important emerging approaches will be to future analytical trends — in particular, the investigation of nucleobase measurement methods using LC-IRMS, and position-specific isotope analysis (PSIA) of intramolecular carbon δ¹³C using Orbitrap mass spectrometry — as avenues for advancing the foundational technologies of this research. It was an invaluable learning experience.

During the conference, I had the pleasure of joining Professor Kawashima and his colleagues for lunch and dinner. Every conversation about research was enormously educational, and the discussions about how to approach research and the importance of writing papers left a lasting impression on me. At first, I was nervous about talking with people who were so much more experienced than I am, but everyone was very kind and spoke with me openly and frankly. It was an incredibly meaningful and precious time. Through this conference presentation, my motivation for research and my awareness of the importance of writing papers have grown even further.

Finally, I would like to express my deep gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Hiroto Kawashima; to my laboratory colleagues who have offered advice on my research; in particular to Asami-kun, who works alongside me in our research on a daily basis; and to Ms. Satomi Tada for her research assistance.