On October 27, 2026, the Qilu International Lecture Hall — 2026 International Microecology Conference & “MicroPower” Academic Forum kicked off in Jinan. Hosted by Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory and co-organized by the State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases and the China-Singapore Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Translational Infection Biology for Diagnostics and Therapies, the conference aims to fully showcase the latest research achievements in microecology at home and abroad and promote in-depth integration between basic microecology research and clinical translation.
The conference brings together many renowned international scholars from Norway, Singapore, the United States, Australia and other countries, as well as more than one hundred distinguished academicians and experts from across China, to conduct in-depth exchanges on cutting-edge scientific issues in microecology. Professor Li Lanjuan, Director of the State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases and Chair of the Academic Committee of Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory; Sun Changjian, Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of Jinan Municipal People’s Congress and Secretary of the Huaiyin District Party Committee; Zhang Ji, Director of Jinan International Medical Center Administrative Committee; and Wang Fuling, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of Jinan Science and Technology Bureau, among other distinguished guests, attended the opening ceremony to launch the conference.
At the opening ceremony, Professor Li Lanjuan delivered a welcome address. On behalf of the organizer, she extended a warm welcome and sincere gratitude to all domestic and foreign experts and scholars present. She noted that microecological science is undergoing a period of rapid development, and the correlation between human microecology, health and major diseases has attracted growing global attention from the academic community. Bringing together top experts and scholars worldwide to discuss frontier scientific questions in microecology, this conference is of great significance for advancing basic research, clinical application and achievement translation of microecology in China. She expressed the hope that this conference will serve as an opportunity to further deepen international exchanges and cooperation, accelerate the research, development and application of innovative outcomes such as microecological diagnostic technologies and microecological preparations, and contribute more “Chinese solutions” to safeguarding people’s health.
In his address, Zhang Ji introduced the development of Jinan International Medical Center. He stated that the Center adheres to the integrated development model of “medicine, education, research and industry”. Hosting this international microecology conference offers a valuable opportunity for the Center to connect with high-end global scientific research resources and expand its international influence. The Medical Center will provide full support and services to facilitate Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory in achieving more breakthrough outcomes in microecology.
During the conference, domestic and foreign experts will deliver dozens of insightful academic presentations covering a range of topics, including advances in the application of microbial bioinformatics association analysis, basic research on human (gut) microecology, progress in basic and clinical correlation studies on the relationship between microecology and the initiation and progression of clinical disorders (neuropsychiatric diseases, infectious diseases, tumors, etc.), research on target organ axes (the gut-brain axis), microecological diagnostic technologies, and the research and application of microecological preparations.
Professor Li Lanjuan, Director of the State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases and Chair of the Academic Committee of Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory, presented an academic report entitled Research Progress of Microecology in China.
Professor Patrick Harris from the University of Queensland, Australia, delivered a presentation entitled Integrating Microbial Genomics into Clinical Practice-experiences from Australia.
Professor Rolf Bjerkvig, Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Professor in the Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Norway, gave a talk entitled The Gut-Brain Tumor Axis: Current Knowledge and Recent Developments.
Professor Manfred Westphal, Director of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, University of Hamburg, Germany, presented Translating Biological Knowledge Into Treatment : The Tortuous Journey of Glioblastoma Therapy.
Dr. Stephen Baker, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Infectious Diseases, A*STAR, Singapore, delivered a report entitled New Technology for Tackling AMR.
Assistant Professor Yu Haojie from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, presented Decoding Macrophage-Specific Genetic Drivers of Coronary Artery Disease through Integrative Genomics and High-Content Functional Screening.
Two parallel sessions, the “MicroPower Forum” and the Training Workshop on Microecology Research and Translation, were set up alongside the main venue, forming a multi-level and multi-dimensional framework for academic exchange.
In addition, domestic and foreign experts and scholars visited the exhibition hall and the Large-Scale Instrument Sharing Platform of Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory. They learned in detail about the Laboratory’s development history, research priorities, scientific research layout and representative achievements in microecology, inspected the configuration and operation of various large-scale research instruments on site, and gained an understanding of the operation mechanism and service model of the open-sharing platform for research institutes, universities and enterprises. During the visit, experts and scholars engaged in on-site discussions with laboratory researchers on relevant scientific issues, further enhancing their understanding of the Laboratory’s research capacity and platform development.
Participating experts and scholars agreed that microecology research is at a critical stage transitioning from basic understanding to clinical translation, calling for continuous collaborative research among global peers. Hosting this conference provides an important opportunity for Jinan to connect with high-end international research resources and elevate the innovation capacity of its biomedical industry. Taking this conference as a new starting point, Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory will further deepen domestic and international cooperation, accelerate breakthroughs in key technologies and the translation of research outcomes, and make greater contributions to building Jinan into a regional science and technology innovation hub and advancing the Healthy China Initiative.
