The seventh Macau Symposium on Biomedical Sciences, organised by the University of Macau (UM) Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS), kicked off today (23 July) at the university. A two-day hybrid event that involved both in-person and virtual elements, the symposium attracted over 300 biomedical experts, researchers, and students from China and abroad. Themed ‘Discovery’, this year’s symposium covers a wide range of topics in biomedical sciences.

UM Rector delivered a speech at the opening ceremony. According to Rector Song, as the world is still reeling from the impact of the pandemic, more countries are becoming more and more convinced that the key to ending the pandemic lies in scientific progress and technological innovation. UM is committed to promoting the development of and innovation in biomedical sciences in Macao and the entire Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area by continuously improving its teaching and research facilities in biomedical sciences and public health.

Five world-renowned scholars and experts in biomedical sciences shared their research findings and views on cutting-edge technologies in precision medicine on the internet. The speakers included Prof Chen Lieping, United Technologies Corporation Professor in Cancer Research and Professor of Immunobiology, of Dermatology and of Medicine (Medical Oncology) at Yale University; Prof Gao Shaorong, dean of the School of Life Sciences and Technology at Tongji University; Prof John Mekalanos, Adele H Lehman Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at Harvard Medical School; Prof Noboru Mizushima of the Graduate School and Faculty of Medicine at the University of Tokyo; and Prof Zhang Mingjie, dean of the School of Life Sciences at the Southern University of Science and Technology.

The symposium features 39 talks that cover a wide range of topics, including autophagy in health and disease, causes and treatment of cancer, genome organisation in development and disease, neuroscience, ageing and degenerative diseases, recent advances in drug discovery and delivery, stem cells, development and ageing, traditional medicines and drug discovery, as well as tumour immunology and immunotherapy.

Launched in 2014, the symposium is an annual event that aims to provide a platform for the sharing of knowledge and research findings in biomedical sciences, so as to promote research collaboration, innovation, and development in the field.