Int'l genomics conference kicks off in central China

CHANGSHA, April 12 (Xinhua) -- The 18th annual meeting of the International Conference on Genomics (ICG-18) opened Wednesday in the city of Zhangjiajie in central China's Hunan Province.

The conference is scheduled to run until April 28, and relevant meetings will be held at various locations across China, as well as in Singapore and London, to discuss the latest findings in life science research with a focus on promoting global cooperation.

Themed "collaboration for omics," the event has attracted leading researchers and practitioners to discuss various topics including biodiversity and biobanking, artificial intelligence in "the century of biology," and education in life sciences.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA and the 20th anniversary of the completion of the Human Genome Project (HGP).

Yang Huanming, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, reflected on the gathering of Chinese scientists in Zhangjiajie 25 years ago, which became known as the preparatory meeting of the HGP China Chapter. Yang said this event was a significant milestone in the history of China's genomics research.

Since its inaugural meeting in 2006, the ICG has provided a robust platform for open discussions and sharing of information related to omics, thereby facilitating international and cross-discipline cooperation, innovation and application in this field.