Since the beginning of this year, the global dengue epidemic has become increasingly severe, with vector-borne and tropical infectious diseases posing an escalating threat to human health. To address this important challenge in public health, Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation (SMART) and Shenzhen Bay Laboratory (SZBL) jointly organized the SMART Symposium, inviting top experts from all over the world to discuss the issue, which was successfully concluded on October 18th at Shenzhen Kylin Villa.
The symposium was co-chaired by Prof. Cheng Gong of Tsinghua University and Prof. George Christophides of Imperial College of Science and Technology. It invited more than 20 top experts and scholars from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Malaysia, and other countries to be the keynote speakers and to share the latest research progress in vector and tropical infectious disease research. The conference focused on the epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and public health strategies for vector-borne and tropical infectious diseases.
At the beginning of the conference, Hu Xiaojun, leader of SMART and SZBL, Prof. Cheng Gong, and Prof. George Christophides, Co-Chairs of the conference, delivered opening speeches.
Prof. George Christophides introduced his project on gene drive for vector population replacement and “zero transmission” of malaria, which was kicked off by the topic of “Re-emergence and control of insect-borne and tropical infectious diseases”. Prof. Zhou Xiaonong from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Prof. Sazaly Bin Adu Bakar from the University of Malaya, Prof. Peng Hongjuan from the Southern Medical University, and Prof. Wang Penghua from the University of Connecticut Health Center, provided us with fascinating presentations on the global research on mosquito and tick diseases, covering a wide range of areas such as gene drives and malaria prevention and control, public health interventions, and the establishment of tick cell lines. cell line establishment and other fields. Professor Ronald van Rij from Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands discussed how mosquitoes defend themselves against viruses through antiviral responses in small RNA centers.
Entering the second topic of the conference, several experts and scholars focused on the “detection and prevention of arboviral and tropical infectious diseases” made a wonderful report. Prof. Liu Qiyong from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention shared the impact of climate factors on pathogens and their hosts, and his research helps to predict and manage plague outbreaks. Prof. Wang Jingwen from Fudan University focused on the immune mechanism of host defense against pathogens and introduced how the bacterial wall stimulates the formation of the periplasmic membrane to prevent and control the invasion of Plasmodium. Prof. Ji Minjun from Nanjing Medical University shared the story of how intestinal cluster cells repair the intestinal wall invaded by Schistosoma japonicum eggs. Prof. Li Ming from Sun Yat-sen University shared how molecular genetic techniques were used to generate infertile female mosquitoes for population control.
In addition, Prof. Julien Pompon from the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) in Montpellier, France, talked about his team's discovery that non-coding viral RNA (sfRNA) in mosquito saliva enhances the transmission of flaviviruses by suppressing the innate immunity of skin cells, and explained its mechanism of action. Prof. Liu Wei and Prof. Li Chunxiao from the State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity shared the latest progress in the epidemiological characterization of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome and AI identification of mosquito species based on epidemiology and bioinformatics. Prof. Liu Quan from Jilin University presented the research progress on emerging tick-borne viruses in China.
The second day of the conference focused on “Vector-Pathogen Interactions: From Basic Research to Disease Prevention and Control”. Prof. George Dimopoulos from Johns Hopkins University shared new strategies for mosquito-borne viruses or malaria, discussing in detail the complex infection cycle between mosquitoes and human pathogens (e.g., malaria parasites and dengue and Zika viruses). Prof. Chen Xiaoguang from Southern Medical University shared his research on daylight regulation of circadian rhythms in Aedes albopictus and Culex tardaeniorhynchus. Prof. Cai Yu from the National University of Singapore shared his research in the field of establishing biological defense and control of infertile mosquitoes.
Prof. Wang Sibao from the Center of Excellence and Innovation in Molecular Plant Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Prof. Joao Marques from the University of Strasbourg, and Prof. Zhang Renli from the Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention delivered fascinating presentations on mosquito vector biocontrol content about the interactions between bacteria and mosquito vectors, metabolism of Aedes aegypti against dengue virus, and protection against dengue virus by PrM antibodies.,
Toward the end of the conference, the enthusiasm of the experts and participants in the discussion on the spot was unabated. Prof. Zhou Xiaohong from Southern Medical University and Prof. Dina Vlachou from Imperial College shared the latest research progress on the stratified detection platform of dengue virus and drug control of malaria. Prof. Cheng Gong gave a fascinating finale presentation about how the team identified a bacterium called Rosenbergiella sp. YN46 from the gut of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the wild in Yunnan, China, which makes the mosquitoes resistant to dengue and Zika virus infections. Microbes influence the ability of vectors to transmit viruses, and this study provides new insights into understanding the complex role that the mosquito gut commensal microbiota plays in this regard and offers an effective and safe approach to the biological control of flaviviruses.
At the end of the meeting, Prof. Cheng Gong and Prof. George Christophides delivered closing remarks. The SMART Symposium International Symposium on Vector-Borne and Tropical Infectious Diseases came to a successful conclusion. Building on the success of the 2016 and 2018 International Symposia on Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, this SMART Symposium not only promotes academic exchanges and communication among scientists around the world, strengthens international cooperation and innovation, but also witnesses the continuous progress and breakthroughs made by scientists in the treatment, prevention, and control of vector-borne and tropical infectious diseases. We look forward to gathering again at the next symposium, working together to contribute to the health and well-being of humanity.
Source: SMART International Exchange Center
Executive Editor: Winston
Editor: Bai Bai
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