From October 13 to 14, the 5th International Three-Dimensional Genomics (3D Genomics) Workshop was held at HZAU as scheduled.
The workshop attracted over 200 researchers of higher education institutions and research institutes from 9 countries, including Tsinghua University, Peking University, Sun Yat-sen University, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In his opening speech, vice president Professor Qing Ping extended his welcome to all participants and wished grand success for the workshop during the 120th anniversary celebration.
Ruan Yijun, organizer of the workshop and professor of the JAX Research Institute of the United States, expressed his gratitude to the experts and scholars present, outlined the existing technical classification of and challenges to three-dimensional genomics, and proposed several solutions to the existing technical bottlenecks. For example, the genome remote interaction information, especially the multiple interactive information of single molecule or single cell, can be obtained with no proximal connection and less material. Professor Ruan described the ChIA-Drop technology developed in his lab, using microfluidic oil drop technology to code each single molecule conjugate and then obtain the sequence of the real chromatin interaction conjugate through analyses. This was a new generation of 3D genomics technology independent of the proximal connection. Professor Ruan also explained the laboratory development of a multi-chromatin interaction technique studying the interaction between RNA and DNA in genome as well as the important role of noncoding RNA in chromatin structure maintenance. The speech aroused strong resonance and heated discussion among the participating experts.
Speeches on the progress of their respective research areas were given by plenty of professors and researchers including Yue Feng of Pennsylvania State University, Musa Mhlanga of University of Cape Town, Chang Liu of University of Tubingen, Argyris of University of Cologne, Dariusz of University of Warsaw and Methodist Church of University of Oulu as well as 20 researchers from prestigious domestic universities. In the workshop, the latest research achievements in 3D genomics were illustrated from 3D genomics experiment, computational analysis, 3D modeling, molecular mechanism, human diseases, senescence research, plant application and other respects, the highlights of which were the new methods of 3D genomics and the developments of imaging technology in recent years. During the meeting, experts and students from different countries, universities, and research institutes had a full exchange and hoped for various in-depth cooperation and exchanges between faculty members and students.
At the end of workshop, Professor Ruan reviewed the development of 3D Genome Society and the growth of 3D Genomics in HZAU and around China from 2014 to 2018, including the development of new conformational capture techniques, the advances of microscopic imaging techniques, the use of more efficient computational methods, the study of a wider range of species, and the further study of mechanisms. Professor Ruan said he was looking forward to meeting us in the 6th 3D Genomics Workshop to be held at Tsinghua University in October 2019.
3D genomics, as a new research field, refers to the study of the 3D structure and dynamics of genome in the nucleus and their effects on DNA replication, DNA damage repair and gene transcription regulation considering both genome sequence and gene structure. Since 2014, the workshop on 3D genomics, which was initiated by Professor Li Guoliang and Professor Ruan Yijun and has been held in HZAU for five consecutive sessions, has greatly promoted the popularization and development of 3D genomics in China. It is said that the number of domestic research teams has grown from 3-5 in 2014 to more than 50 now, 10 in HZAU. With the publication of a great number of high-level research results, China remains at the forefront of international research in recent years. 3D genomics research was appraised as the “2015 representative achievement of China’s scientific research” in the 2016 Scientific Development Report issued by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, to which Ruan and Li jointly contributed a report entitled “Research progress in human 3D genomics and its significance in precision medicine.”
Source: http://news.hzau.edu.cn/2018/1016/52852.shtml
Translated by Liu Jiadi
Supervised by Zeng Wenhua
