Symposium on Natural Products and Biosynthesis & Biosynthesis of Terpene Compounds in Tobacco was held in Qingdao

On October 20th, 2023, a symposium on Natural Products and Biosynthesis & Biosynthesis of Terpene Compounds in Tobacco was held in Qingdao. This symposium was organized by Qingdao Association for Science and Technology, Qingdao Bioengineering Society, and Qingdao Microalgae Industry Society, and was hosted by Tobacco Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS). The symposium focused on the topics of industrial applications of biosynthetic biotechnology in functional agriculture and healthcare, strategies for biosynthesizing high-value natural products, as well as the frontiers of synthetic biology research.

Liu Hongying, the Vice President of Qingdao Association for Science and Technology, and Zhang Zhongfeng, the Director of Tobacco Research Institute of CAAS, attended the symposium and delivered speeches. In the opening speech by Liu Hongying, he pointed out that synthetic biology has great application potentials in medical drug synthesis, agricultural green development, and biofuel production. He also emphasized that Qingdao Association for Science and Technology is a bridge connecting the scientists and technologists and will keep playing roles in uniting the scientists and technologists to explore new scientific frontiers, promote science and technology development and make greater contributions to the innovative studies in the aspects of synthetic biology. In the welcome speech by Zhang Zhongfeng, he said that synthetic biology is a research hotspot in the field of life sciences, and is of great value to promote the development of biomedical industries and future agriculture. He also introduced the research achievements of tobacco plant as a biosynthesis chassis for producing high-value natural products and medical protein in recent years. He looked forward to the application prospects of tobacco as a biosynthesis chassis in various fields, and hopes that the attendees can reach a consensus in promoting the prosperity and development of natural product biosynthesis via international collaboration.

Jean-David Rochaix, an academician of European Academy of Sciences and a professor of University of Geneva, Qin Song, the director of Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Olaf Kruse, a professor from Bielefeld University in Germany, and Liao Zhihua, a professor from Southwestern University, presented wonderful academic reports to the symposium. Experts and scholars from research institutions, colleges, social organizations, and representative enterprises in the relevant fields, as well as the experts and scholars from Tobacco Research Institute of CAAS attended the symposium. This symposium provided a high-level academic platform for scientists and technologists to exchange knowledge, ideas, and opinions of natural product biosynthesis and was helpful to promote the application of synthetic biology technologies to functional agriculture and healthcare industries. (Contributed by Fu Qiujuan)