NEWSSC.ORG, Chengdu, news of October 27. (Reporter and photographer: Qi Qi) In the morning on October 27, "BIOTIANFU International Medical Immunology Summit 2018 and The 3rd BTB (Bench to Bed) Immunology Summit Forum" was held in Chengdu, gathering together some 300 home and abroad famous experts, scholars, and medical workers in immunology, and responsible persons of relevant industries. Attendees exchanged ideas on the latest academic progress and fruit conversion in medical immunology and other fields. According to sources, the meeting was co-hosted by the Rheumatology and Immunology Department of West China Hospital of Sichuan University and Chengdu Hi-tech Investment Group Co., Ltd.

Coming with the theme "Focusing on frontier technologies of medical immunology and exploring immunological therapy and its future trend", the forum aimed to realize "BENCH TO BED" of clinical immunology and basic immunology. The meeting pooled together the latest academic progress and conversion achievements in rheumatology of autoimmune diseases, tumor immunology, and relevant fields. Attendees explored and shared insights in the hot topics and frontier technologies of clinical and basic research, autoimmunity and tumor immunotherapy, and diagnosis and treatment with innovative technologies, and proposed targeted technical guidance. The forum served as a high-end exchange platform for doctors, researchers, enterprise representatives in medical immunology field, and students of relevant majors. The forum scene featured a strong academic atmosphere, and rich and cutting-edge contents, thus well-received among attendees.

According to Wu Yuzhang, a professor of Third Military Medical University, Head of Institute of immunology, PLA, Vice Chairman of Chinese Society for Immunology, and Director of Key Laboratory of Antigen Engineering, PLA, immunology plays a key role in the prevention and treatment of major infectious diseases, such as the control and elimination of smallpox and poliomyelitis, and the treatment of tumor, Alzheimer's disease, metabolic diseases, and other diseases. "Immunology can produce huge social benefits in extending life span and controlling diseases. Immunological therapy is the most economical and effective way of treatment," professor Wu Yuzhang cited an example, "In America, one dollar of vaccine can save 10 dollars of medical expenditure, and the ratio is 1:10. Currently, the ratio in China is only 1:2, but is expected to increase to 1:27.

So there is much to be done in immunological therapy." In recent years, with the rapid development of medical immunology, we have gained a deeper understanding of disease-related immunology mechanism, found new intervention targets, and are searching for new treatments. In 2018, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was conferred to scientists engaging in cancer immunological therapy. For many times, the Nobel Prize has been awarded to major breakthroughs and technological innovation in immunology theory, rendering new development opportunities for immunology. Amid such a trend, Chengdu Hi-tech Zone has considered its own industrial development and targeted at frontier technologies of international medical immunology field in 2018. It has hosted high-end academic meetings of relevant fields to participate in the discussion of frontier issues in global biomedicine field. Centering on the construction of industrial ecosphere and innovative ecological chain and starting from the conversion of innovation results and talent introduction, it has focused on four fields, namely biomedicine, biomedical engineering, biological services, and health new economy, and "five functional centers", namely international clinical research service center, global new drug R&D outsourcing service trading center, global biomedicine supply chain service center, biomedicine global outsourcing production center, and Sichuan Chengdu international medical center, and highlighted "three capabilities", namely "serving the world with global vision and integrating into the world". The successful hosting of the forum will empower the biomedicine industry in Chengdu Hi-tech Zone to grow in both size and strength.

Taking about the cooperation with Chengdu Hi-tech Zone, Liu Yi, Director of the Rheumatology and Immunology Department of West China Hospital of Sichuan University, said that the forum was hosted with the support of Chengdu Hi-tech Zone and Chengdu Hi-tech Investment Group Co., Ltd. "Rheumatology is closely related to fundamental research, and many doctors own patents, which means many opportunities of achievement transformation. Besides treating patients and doing research, doctors can also generate some products." Many doctors have patents and ideas, yet have no money to get them materialized. In the era when innovation and entrepreneurship is encouraged, the support of the Chengdu Hi-tech Zone government can make these ideas into reality, said Liu Yi.

As the undertaker of the forum, Chengdu High Investment Biological Medicine Park Management Co., Ltd. is the wholly owned subsidiary of Chengdu Hi-tech Investment Group. Tianfu Life Science Park, operated by the company, is a key biomedicine vehicle in Chengdu Hi-tech Zone, China's important biomedicine R&D and innovation center and industrial incubation center built with the support of Sichuan Province, Chengdu City, and Chengdu Hi-tech Zone. It is a park planned and built according to the "13th Five Year Plan" of Sichuan Province, a portal of life science industry in western China, and also a key base for international medicine and medical institutions to cooperate with western China in R&D, and a platform for the integration of industry, university, and research. Tianfu Life Science Park mainly engages in biomedicine, chemical drugs, natural drugs, biological materials, medical apparatus and instruments, and other sub-fields, aiming to shape biomedicine R&D and innovation chain and industrial ecosphere.

 According to sources, the forum invited Wei Yuquan, former Vice President of Sichuan University, Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Director of State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, as honorary chairman, and Liu Yi, Director of the Rheumatology and Immunology Department of West China Hospital of Sichuan University, as executive chairman. The forum also invited 20-plus globally and domestically renowned experts to deliver speeches on frontier topics of medical immunology, tumor immunology, autoimmune disease, and other fields, those experts including: Professor Wu Yuzhang, Head of Institute of immunology, PLA, Professor Zeng Xiaofeng, Director of the Rheumatology and Immunology Department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Professor Dong Chen, President of School of Medicine Tsinghua University, Professor Xu Huji, Executive Deputy President of Tsinghua University School of Clinical Medicine, Professor Su Bing, Director of Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Professor GEORG SCHETT, former Chairman of The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR), and Professor TONY MARION, a Lifetime Professor of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry of University of Tennessee Health Science Center.