The 2025 China C. elegans Principal Investigator (PI) Symposium was held in Fuzhou, Fujian province, from Oct 17 to 19. 

The 2025 China C. elegans PI Symposium is held in Fuzhou, Fujian province, from Oct 17 to 19. [Photo/WeChat account: BSC] 

Hosted by the Biophysical Society of China (BSC) Membrane Biology Academic Subgroup, the symposium united leading scholars and emerging scientists nationwide to discuss key topics like development, metabolism, neurobiology, cells and aging. 

Zhang Hong, a CAS academician and BSC president, gives a speech at the opening ceremony. [Photo/WeChat account: BSC] 

At the opening ceremony, Zhang Hong, a Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) academician and BSC president, highlighted the C. elegans research community’s commitment to equality, openness and inclusiveness, fostering unity and collaboration to advance this discipline. 

Hu Junjie, president of the BSC Membrane Biology Academic Subgroup, gives a speech at the opening ceremony. [Photo/WeChat account: BSC]

Hu Junjie, president of the BSC Membrane Biology Academic Subgroup, praised the symposium for strengthening collaboration with researchers studying other model organisms aiming to develop better models for synergistic development. He also encouraged leveraging the conference and corporate platforms to enhance science popularization and public outreach. 

To broaden research perspectives and promote interdisciplinary exchange, this year’s symposium invited experts working on non-nematode models for the first time to deliver keynote lectures. CAS Academician Meng Anming from Tsinghua University discussed embryonic development and inductive mechanisms in vertebrates, offering systematic insights into cell communication and the establishment of organizing centers during zebrafish embryogenesis. Zhao Chengtian, a professor at the Ocean University of China, highlighted the advantages of non-model organism studies, showcasing the latest progress using Platynereis as a model for studying neural evolution and tissue regeneration. 

The symposium also welcomed its first group of international speakers, including Shen Kang from Stanford University, a US National Academy of Sciences member; Kentaro Noma, an associate professor at Nagoya University; and Fumio Motegi, a professor at Hokkaido University. Their presentations offered cutting-edge international perspectives, deepening academic dialogue and cooperation between Chinese and foreign researchers. 

The conference included multiple thematic sessions on topics such as autophagy regulation, embryonic development, metabolism and aging, neural behavior and epigenetics. Scholars from the CAS, ShanghaiTech University, Zhejiang University, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Beijing Normal University and the University of Hong Kong shared their latest findings, underscoring the unique advantages of C. elegans as a model organism for studying fundamental biological mechanisms and diseases.