On October 12, 2019, Shenyang Key Laboratory of Superantigen Research (hereinafter referred to as the key laboratory) was formally established and the first academic committee meeting was held at the Institute of Applied Ecology (IAE), Chinese Academy of Sciences. More than 40 people including Academician LIU Changxiao from Tianjin Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, all the key laboratory members, the academic committee members and graduate students, attended the meeting. The meeting was presided by ZHANG Huiwen (head of the Biological Center of IAE).

On behalf of all the members of the key laboratory, ZHANG Huiwen first expressed her gratitude to Academician LIU Changxiao, experts and leaders for coming to this meeting. She then introduced the development history, discipline orientation, present and future research directions of the key laboratory. On behalf of the Shenyang Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, GUO Yufu (deputy director of Shenyang S&T Bureau) expressed his congratulations on the approval of the establishment of the laboratory. He affirmed the achievements of the laboratory over the past year and hoped that the laboratory could further promote the development of the biotechnology industry in Shenyang.

Afterwards, JIN Changjie (Party Secretary and Deputy Director of IAE) and GUO Yufu issued appointment letters for the members of the academic committee. Academician LIU Changxiao was appointed as the director of the academic committee. LI Jiawei (director of Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences) was appointed as the deputy director. GUAN Yifu (Professor of China Medical University), ZHANG Jinghai (Professor of Shenyang Pharmaceutical University), ZHANG Rong (Professor of Shenyang Pharmaceutical University), ZHOU Libao (Director of Liaoning Chengda Bio Co., Ltd.), ZHANG Zhen (Director of Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.), ZHANG Chenggang (researcher of IAE), ZHANG Huiwen (researcher of IAE), XU Mingkai (researcher of IAE) were members of the first academic committee. On behalf of the Academic Committee, Academician LIU Changxiao expressed his congratulations on the formal establishment of the laboratory and raised ardent expectations for the laboratory members to develop new products and to accelerate the transformation of scientific and technological achievements.

Dr. XU Mingkai, Dr. FU Xuanhe, Dr. YAO Songyuan, Dr. SONG Yubo, Ph.D student LI Yongqiang, and Master student GU Wu gave academic talks respectively on the Structure-Activity relation (SAR) and structure modification of superantigens, the mechanism of action (MOA) and immune signaling pathways, the R&D of new anti-tumor drugs, CAR-T therapy, the application and development of immunologic adjuvants, and the antibiotic-free breeding.

Finally, all members of the academic committee conducted extensive discussions and put forward suggestions on the functional orientation, discipline development, achievements transformation, academic exchange, publicity and training, management, and long-term development of the laboratory. ZHANG Huiwen, director of the key laboratory, expressed her gratitude again to the experts of the academic committee for their support to the key laboratory. She said that she would organize the laboratory members to discuss the suggestions put forward by the academic committee, and consolidate the development direction and goals of the laboratory to comprehensively improve the laboratory research and management.

As the first municipal-level key laboratory in the field of superantigen research, the establishment of the key laboratory will strongly promote the theoretical research and application development of superantigens, accelerate superantigens in tumor therapy, immunologic adjuvant and antibiotic-free breeding industries, contributing to the S&T innovation and the biotechnology industry development in Shenyang and Liaoning provinces.