Participants from six Asian countries sign a Memorandum of Understanding at Guangming Science City.
The 2024 ASBA Workshop, SynCell Asia, jointly organized by the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Asian Society of Synthetic Biology (ASBA), was successfully held at Guangming Science City from April 2 to 3.
As an important academic event in the field, the workshop aims to promote communication and discussion on the latest advancements in synthetic cell research, frontier scientific issues, technological innovations, and collaborations in the field. It also serves as a mobilization and preparation for the Global Summit on Synthetic Cells to be held in Shenzhen from Oct. 23 to 25.
The conference attracted representatives and experts from six countries including China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia, as well as approximately 25 research institutions. Through conference presentations and round-table discussions, the participants engaged in in-depth exchanges on the latest discoveries and concepts in synthetic cell research.
At the beginning of the conference, Liu Chenli, vice president of SIAT, delivered a speech entitled "SynCell Asia Initiative,| advocating for deep collaboration among Asian countries in the field of synthetic cells.
All the participants from the six Asian countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding on synthetic cell research, committing to jointly strengthen regional research cooperation, establish a long-term cooperation mechanism and exchange platform, and promote knowledge sharing, technology exchange, and talent cultivation. The signing of this memorandum marks a new milestone in the cooperation of the pan-Asian region in the field of synthetic biology.
Liu stated that the signing of the memorandum not only provides a stable framework for supporting the long-term development of synthetic cell field in each country but also opens up new ways to solve interdisciplinary research challenges, indicating that Asian countries will carry out more cooperative projects and exchange activities. In addition, the establishment of the cooperation platform will attract more international research institutions and companies to participate in synthetic biology research in Asia, jointly tackle the challenges of synthetic cells, develop universal technologies, establish international standards, and strive to make significant breakthroughs in single-cell life synthesis, thereby promoting technological innovation in agriculture, food, energy, environment, and other fields.
As part of the SynCell Asia Workshop series, the 2024 ASBA Workshop, SynCell Asia, continues to promote Asia's increasingly important role in global research topics related to synthetic cells, injecting new impetus into global scientific cooperation. In the future, the SynCell Asia Workshop will continue to focus on relevant topics of synthetic cells, hold workshops with different themes in multiple Asian countries, and continuously promote exchanges and cooperation in the region.