20 Aug 2019
Collaborative ties between Fudan University and the Doherty Institute strengthened
The fourth biannual Infection and Immunity Workshop between the Doherty Institute and Fudan University was held last month in Melbourne, with the aim of maintaining existing collaborations between the organisation and establishing new ones. Here PhD Students Xiaoxia Jia and Luca Hensen summarise the meeting.
Established in 2014, the collaborative network focuses on controlling global infectious diseases and has already resulted in multiple collaborations in infection and immunity, including influenza, legionella, HIV, hepatitis B, tuberculosis and bacteria biofilm/genome/sequencing research.
University of Melbourne Professor James McCluskey, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) and Laboratory Head at the Doherty Institute, and Laureate Professor Peter Doherty, warmly welcomed delegates from Fudan University with a brief introduction of the Doherty Institute.
University of Melbourne Professor Katherine Kedzierska, Laboratory Head at the Doherty Institute and Director of the Doherty-Fudan Partnership Program, and Professor Zhenghong Yuan, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Fudan University then summarised achievements to date, including high quality publications, student and postdoctoral exchanges, joint research grants, and the three previously held workshops.
Researchers from both organisations spoke of their appreciation of the long-term relationships this partnership has created, and the opportunities it provided for growth in the future.
This includes opportunities for scientific resource sharing, which is key for infectious disease research that would benefit public health problems, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.