The second China Lysosome Biology Conference was held in Kunming, Yunnan province, from Aug 12 to 14. 

Hosted by the Membrane Biophysics Academic Subgroup of the Biophysical Society of China (BSC) and organized by Yunnan University, the conference gathered more than 200 experts and scholars from over 50 research institutes and universities nationwide. 

As a flagship academic event in the field, it provided a platform for discussing lysosome-related molecular mechanisms, functional regulation and disease connections, thereby effectively bridging basic research and clinical applications. 

Hu Junjie, president of the BSC’s Membrane Biophysics Academic Subgroup, delivers opening remarks. [Photo/WeChat account: BSC]

In his opening remarks, Hu Junjie, president of the BSC’s Membrane Biophysics Academic Subgroup, emphasized that the lysosome biology conference is the subgroup’s first major academic activity since its restructuring, and will become one of its signature series of specialized, high-quality scientific meetings. 

Zhang Hong, chair of the conference’s academic committee and a CAS academician, gives a keynote lecture. [Photo/WeChat account: BSC] 

Zhang Hong, chair of the conference’s academic committee and an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), gave a keynote lecture highlighting the link between lysosomal dysfunction and major human diseases. 

“From single-gene defects in lysosomal storage disorders, to lysosomal degradation impairments of amyloid-β in Alzheimer’s disease and lysosome-mediated drug resistance in the tumor microenvironment, elucidating the molecular mechanisms of lysosomal functional regulation is a key prerequisite for developing targeted therapeutic strategies,” Zhang said.

The academic program featured seven thematic sessions covering molecular regulation and cellular homeostasis maintenance, membrane structure dynamics, organelle interactions, ion balance and signaling, lysosomal damage response and quality control mechanisms, the endocytosis–autophagy–lysosome axis, as well as developmental and disease models. 

To foster talent development, the conference launched a Young Scholars Forum, drawing 86 abstract submissions from postdoctoral fellows and researchers under 35. Twenty were selected for oral presentations, and six were awarded the Outstanding Poster Prize. 

Statistics show that scientists under the age of 40 made up 52 percent of participants of this conference, underscoring their central role in academic discussions. One participant remarked: “Lysosome biology is at a stage of rapid progress. The innovative thinking of young researchers is crucial to disciplinary breakthroughs. This conference not only allows us to engage directly with leading experts but also broadens our perspectives through cross-disciplinary dialogue, particularly in disease-related studies, laying the foundation for future collaborative research.”