Professor David Ornitz of Washington University said, “The FGF family comprises numerous members with complex functions, while research efforts across countries have long been relatively dispersed. An organized international alliance will greatly advance collaborative innovation among us.”
As another important item on the agenda, the editorial board of Cytokinology, an international English-language academic journal sponsored by WMU, was officially launched. Published by KeAi, the journal focuses on the full spectrum of cytokine science, covering the entire chain from molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways to disease applications and translational medicine. The launch brought together leading experts from more than 20 countries, including authoritative scholars such as David Ornitz, Sabine Werner, and Chiara Francavilla. Professor Sabine Werner of ETH Zurich in Switzerland noted that the journal responds to the trend of multidisciplinary integration and is of great significance to the development of the growth factor field. Professor Mohammad K. Hajihosseini of the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom said that by building an open and shared academic platform, the journal will help draw greater attention from the international academic community to advances in this field.
During the conference, WMU officially released its open research projects for the Cell Growth Factor Peak Discipline to the global community. The initiative supports high-level research teams and outstanding young talents worldwide in conducting joint research on major scientific issues in the field of growth factors, with complementary support for graduate training and international exchange. The projects will focus on areas such as AI-based development of FGF agonists and antagonists, exploration of novel regulatory factors, investigation of new disease mechanisms, and development of new signal transduction technologies, with the aim of advancing collaborative research among domestic and international teams, promoting the translation of research outcomes, and fostering joint talent cultivation.
