国家自然科学基金 z-bio 2025-01-20 1051

　　On December 16-17, 2024, the 2024 Academic Exchange Conference of the Major Research Program "Cracking the Sugar Code of Life" was held in Zhuhai. Academician Yu Jihong, President of Beijing Normal University, and Fu Xuefeng, Deputy Director of the Cross Science Department of the Natural Science Foundation of China, attended the meeting and delivered speeches. Lv Qunyan, member of the management working group and Deputy Director of the International Scientific Research Funding Department, attended the meeting and directed the expert group leader and academician Yu Biao of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry to preside over the opening ceremony.

　　Principal Yu Jihong pointed out in his speech that the functional analysis of sugar chains, as the "third life chain" outside of nucleic acid chains and protein peptide chains, is an important scientific issue in the post genomic era. We hope to promote interdisciplinary collaboration through the implementation of this major research plan, analyze the biological connotations of the sugar code, and produce breakthrough innovative results in the field of sugar research.

　　Deputy Director Fu Xuefeng stated that the implementation of this major research plan is expected to promote significant breakthroughs in the precise diagnosis, drug development, and clinical treatment of major diseases in China. I hope the attending experts can use this exchange to speak freely and provide constructive opinions on the future development of sugar research; I hope to guide the expert group and management team to take this opportunity to carefully analyze the opportunities and challenges they are facing, and better plan their future vision goals.

　　The conference invited five experts, including Academician Shao Feng from Beijing Institute of Life Sciences and Professor Chen Xing from Beijing Normal University, to give keynote speeches. The leaders of the 5 key support projects and 35 cultivation projects funded in 2024 reported on their research plans, difficulties and challenges, and contributions to this major research program. The guidance expert group provided comments on the conference report and put forward practical and feasible opinions and suggestions for subsequent research work. During the meeting, the guidance expert group and management working group held a working meeting to discuss the revised draft of the 2025 project guidelines, annual work plan, and other matters.

　　Academician Yan Ning from Tsinghua University and other project leaders, some project applicants, experts and scholars in related fields, and relevant staff from the National Natural Science Foundation of China attended the meeting.