Supported by the international cooperation and exchange project from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Professor Jan Tytgat and his colleagues (Steve Peigneur and Lien Moreels) from Leuven University, Belgium, visited the Group of Peptide Biology and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, on Jan. 12 - 15, 2016. Prof. Tytgat is a famous expert in the field of animal peptide neurotoxins and has published more than 200 SCI papers. During the workshop, Prof. Tytgat presented four excellent lectures for members of our research team, which covers multiple aspects of animal toxins, including discovery, characterization, molecular design and drug potential, etc.

Symposium of China-Belgium Bilateral Scientific Cooperation on Neurotoxins and Antimicrobial Peptides

In the frame of the Bilateral Cooperation for the 16 th session of the Sino-Belgian S&T Mixed Commission (2007-2009), the first Symposium of Bilateral Scientific Cooperation on Neurotoxins and Antimicrobial Peptides was held at Institute of Zoology on November 13, 2008. Attendants to this symposium include members from the Group of Animal Innate Immunity, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Laboratory of Toxicology, Leuven University, Belgium.

This symposium covers many aspects of biologically active polypeptides involved in animal defense and immunity, including: 1) Na-channel toxins from sea anemone, spider and scorpion venoms; 2) Molecular mechanism of scorpion toxins affecting hERG potassium channels; 3) Convergent evolution between scorpion antimicrobial peptides and viral fusion peptides; 4) Genomic analysis of parasitoid wasp peptidomics for defence and attack; 5) Molecular design of peptides; 5) Molecular design of polypeptides.

This symposium enhances mutual understanding and friendship, and lays the foundation for deeper scientific collaboration in the future.

1. Pictures of the symposium attendants; 2. Dr. Eva Cuypers’s presentation; 3. Academic discussion; 4. Steve Peigneur, Bert Billen and Sarah Debaveye in our lab; 5. Xenopus laevis; 6. Bert Billen was injecting cRNAs of ion channels into X. laevis oocytes; 7. Steve Peigneur was clamping the oocytes expressing heterogeneous ion channels; 8. Electrophysiological recording of the rKv1.4 current.