The 2014 Queenstown Molecular Biology (Shanghai) Meetings, organized by the National Center for Drug Screening, the Queenstown Molecular Biology Meeting Society of New Zealand, National Institute of Parasitic Diseases (China CDC) and Shanghai Pudong Engineers Association, were held in Zhangjiang between March 13 and 14, 2014. The main theme of this event is “Drug Discovery and International Collaboration” which is concurrent with the 6th National Forum on New Technologies in Drug Discovery and the 3rd Meeting of Chinese Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation.
About 700 scientists, entrepreneurs, managers and graduates from 17 different countries and regions across the world attended the meetings. Four satellite sessions were organized including two Roundtable Discussions, Postgraduates’ Podium and Young Investigators’ Forum.
The meetings were jointly chaired by Drs. Ming-Wei Wang (Director of the National Center for Drug Screening) and Peter Shepherd (Deputy Director of Maurice Wilkins Center of New Zealand). Professor Jian Ding, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, delivered opening remarks. Eighty invited speakers from 15 countries and regions around the world made presentations covering areas such as innovation, technology and collaboration. Twelve representatives of international or domestic instrument/reagent/consumable vendors introduced various hot topics in drug discovery, ranging from new trends, new strategies, new technologies, to new methods, new tools and new instruments.
A joint declaration, released during the meeting, by the organizers and participants from various countries calls for upgrading Zhangjiang “Pharma Valley” to a world-class innovation launchpad for drug discovery and diagnostic technologies, via strengthening international co-operations. This so-called “March Manifesto” emphasizes that the desire for collaboration in life sciences transcends differences in nationality, race and culture, and the establishment of a “Zhangjiang International Collaboration Center” will facilitate the sharing of discovery resources, human capital, technical capabilities, up-to-date information, scientific knowledge, research experiences, laboratory facilities and economic benefits, in order to better serve human health and social development.
Queenstown Molecular Biology Meetings are a well-known international forum with a history of 23 years, which have attracted the attendance of numerous scientists, students and entrepreneurs. This is the second time to hold such a prestigious event outside of New Zealand, following a successful launching in Shanghai last year.
Among the sponsors are the National Science and Technology Major Project Management Office, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xinhua News Agency (Shanghai Branch), Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Novo Nordisk A/S of Denmark, Maurice Wilkins Center of New Zealand, the Chinese National Compound Library, the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (UNICEF-UNDP-World Bank-WHO), Shanghai City Tourism Bureau, Shanghai Pudong Association for Science and Technology, Zhangjiang High-Tech Park, Pudong Bioindustry Association, Asian Chemical Biology Initiative, iHuman Institute of ShanghaiTech University, Chinese Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation, Trends in Pharmacological Sciences、Biochemical Journal、Pharmacologica Sinica, Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica, and dozens of commercial companies.
2014 Queenstown Molecular Biology (Shanghai) Meetings in Zhangjiang(Image by SIMM)
