World's biomedical experts flock to Shanghai for conferences

East China's Shanghai is catching the eye of biomedical experts and scholars globally by hosting the fourth International Symposium of Human Phenomics and the fifth Human Phenomics Convention of China.

The two scientific conferences, with the common theme of "Human Phenomics: New Frontiers of Life Science", are aimed at accelerating a paradigm change and helping breakthroughs in the frontier research of phenomics, according to organizers.

Kicking off on Oct 31, the five-day events are expected to attract more than 10 academicians from home and abroad, as well as more than 400 scholars, experts and representatives from all walks of life.

They are mainly being hosted by Fudan University; Shanghai International Human Phenome Institutes; the State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering; the Phenomics Academics Subgroup of the Biophysical Society of China and supported by the Human Phenome Institute of Fudan University and Shanghai Fuyuan Technology Service.

Ten top international scientists are invited to deliver keynote speeches during the conferences.

They include Leroy Hood, co-founder of the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, the United States, delivering a speech titled "The Human Phenome Initiative: the Pathway to a Healthcare of Wellness and Prevention"; Jeremy Nicholson, director of the Australian National Phenome Centre at Murdoch University, with a speech titled "Molecular Phenomic Approaches to Understanding Human Disease Trajectories in a Population Health Background"; Jin Li, president of Fudan University, sharing ideas on standard operating procedure systems, navigation map and latest development of international human phenome project; and Zhan Qimin, professor at Peking University, talking about genetic variation and the molecular characterization of oesophageal cancer.

Interactions between one's genetic inheritance and environment determine human characteristics, also known as phenotype. It is a collection of all biological, physical and chemical characteristics of an organism from macroscopic to micro levels, and from embryonic development to birth, growth, aging and death, experts said.

During the opening ceremony of the conferences, the Shanghai municipal sci-tech major project — International Human Phenome Project Phase II — was launched, marking a new stage of higher-level development.

In recent years, the international academic community has given greater attention to the study of human phenomics. It is generally believed that the human phenome project is another strategic high ground and original innovation source in the field of life sciences in the "post-genomic era".

The project is also key to leading the new paradigm shift in the research into life sciences and to driving leapfrog development of precision medicine and the big health industry.

The first phase was launched in 2017 and implemented by Chinese scientists represented by those from Fudan University. They focused on such goals of standardization of phenome measurement, individual and group distributions of phenotypic characteristics, and drawing the navigation map of human phenotype associations.

Over the past six years, researchers of the first-phase project have achieved four "global firsts". For example, they have built the world's first large-scale, multidimensional and one-stop human phenome precision measurement platform, and drawn the first human phenome navigation map.

Shanghai is also helping China establish important advantages in the international research and development of human phenomics. It covers sectors ranging from theory and core technologies to talents, international standards and data platforms.

The second-phase project aims to ensure China's leading discipline position in human phenome research and accelerate the pace of scientific discovery and application in this field.

Background

The International Symposium of Human Phenomics and the Human Phenomics Convention of China are important platforms for guests from governments, industries, universities and research and application institutes to discuss the progress and achievements of the Human Phenome Project, as well as the emerging fields of human phenomics.

They will also help exchange knowledge, foster collaboration and promote the innovation and application of phenomics worldwide.

The symposium has been held biennially since 2016. Nearly 3,000 representatives from more than 30 countries and regions around the world have participated in the three previous sessions.

The first session kicked off in May 2016 in Shanghai, during which the launch of the International Human Phenome Project was proposed.

In November 2018, the second symposium, also held in Shanghai, witnessed the establishment of the Human Phenome Consortium of China and the International Human Phenome Consortium.

In October 2020, the third session was held online, focusing on the priorities of human phenome research and contributions to a global community of health in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Chinese human phenomics convention has been held annually since 2019. The previous four sessions gathered a total of 41 academicians and more than 1,000 experts and scholars.

The first session was held in Nansha, Guangzhou, in December 2019. The second session was held both online and offline in Shanghai in October 2020, simultaneously with the third international symposium.

The third session took place in the Chongqing Liangjiang New Area in 2021, and the fourth session was held in 2022 in Changsha, Hunan, with the theme of "Phenomics and Individualized Diagnosis and Treatment".

During the fourth session, experts and scholars exchanged the latest research results of phenomics and biomedical sciences; explored the future development trends of life sciences and the health industry; and sought future research directions and technological solutions for major human health issues.