News Archive

Sequencing of the DNA of species as diverse as the giant panda and the cucumber will be one of the topics discussed at the first Perth satellite meeting of the Australia-China Biomedical Research Conference on Monday.

From The University of Western Australia, the WA Institute of Medical Research, other Australian universities and China's best research universities, the researchers will exchange scientific information and discuss collaboration.

UWA Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alan Robson, said Australia-China collaboration will benefit both nations.  "Prime Minister Julia Gillard, in China this week, has highlighted the growing links between Australia and China," he said.  "Our University and WAIMR have long-established and productive links with Chinese institutions across many fields."

Dr Ying Liu from the Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI) said breathtaking progress in China in DNA sequencing technology not only provided knowledge for basic research, but also had benefits for applications such as the development of better crops and livestock, and for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, neurological disorders and other complex diseases.

Other speakers include: Professor Peter Klinken , WAIMR Director, who will discuss the latest research in leukaemia and blood disorders; Professor Peter Leedman , WAIMR Deputy-Director, who will detail new information on hormone-dependent cancers; Professor Jun Xu , Director of the Research Centre for Drug Discovery at Sun Yat-Sen University, who will discuss the roles of both traditional Chinese medicine and modern medicine in fighting pandemics such as swine flu;  and Professor Ralph Martins , Foundation Chair, Ageing and Alzheimer's Disease, Edith Cowan University, who will discuss the assessment of genetic and molecular risk factors for Alzheimer's.

The Perth satellite meeting of the Australia-China Biomedical Research Conference will be held on Monday, 2 May.

Media references

Winthrop Professor Jiake Xu (+61 8)  9346 2739
(Meeting organiser, UWA School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine)
Janine MacDonald (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 5563  /  (+61 4) 32 637 716