The 2012 Sino-American Symposium on Clinical and Translation Medicine, sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS), the Clinical Research Center of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and GlobalMD jointly, was held in Shanghai from June 27 to 29, 2012. This symposium was co-chaired by Fan Daiming, Vice President of CAE, Cao Xuetao, President of CAMS as well as Dr. John I. Gallin, Chairman of the Clinical Research Center of the U.S. NIH. CAE Member Yang Shengli from the Division of Medicine and Health, CAE, served as the Director of the Forum Organizing Committee.

The symposium was attended by a total of more than 600 people, including CAE Members Dai Kerong, Gui Jianren, Liu Zhihong, Qiu Weiliu and Wang Zhenyi, Dr. Robert Califf, Chairman of the Translational Medicine Research Institute of Duke University, Prof. Roland Andersson with the University of Lund, Sweden, Prof. David Bluemke with the U.S. National Institutes of Health, Dr. Andy Futreal with the Wellcome Trust Sanger Research Institute, together with clinical doctors, basic or clinical researchers, medical administrative personnel, representatives of the bio-medicine and health industry, international medical and health non-profit organizations as well as researchers on the medical society from China, the United States, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Australia, etc. Over 100 speakers made presentations at the symposium, with more than 40 of them being foreign experts.

Three Chairmen of the symposium, namely, CAE Member Fan Daiming, CAE Member Cao Xuetao and Dr. John I. Gallin, made welcoming remarks at the opening ceremony, while Shen Xiaoming, Vice Mayor of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, together with He Wei, Director-General of the Science, Technology and Education Department of the Ministry of Health, addressed the opening. A total of 8 academic reports were given at the symposium by 8 experts such as CAE Member Fan Daiming, CAE Member Cao Xuetao, Dr. John I. Gallin, Prof. Roland Andersson, for the general assembly. And 11 thematic sub-symposiums were organized (with three of them held in Hangzhou, Xi’an and Yanbian respectively), centered upon themes like “Translational Medicine of Cancer Found in the Digestive System”, “Translational Medicine of Metabolic Diseases”, “Translational Medicine of Autoimmune Diseases”, “Imaging Medicine and Translational Medicine”, “Traditional Medicine and Translational Medicine”, “Pharmaceutical Regulatory Science and Transformation Medicine”, “Development and Progress of Transitional Medicine Projects”, “Biological Sample Database and Translational Medicine”, “Researches in Digital Health Translational Medicine”, “New Opportunities and Challenges for the Contemporary Biotechnology Industry and Transitional Medicine” and “Translational Medicine of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases”. A roundtable was held themed on “Exploration into Transitional Medicine Center Construction Model” on the afternoon of June 27.

A total of 21 cases for translational medicine centers both at home and abroad were demonstrated at the symposium at the same time, covering their respective organizational structures, research areas, operational modes, mechanism for cooperation, as well as the transformation modes of scientific research achievements. In this way, a platform for exchange and cooperation was built up between participating experts and various transitional medicine centers, offering reference for future construction of transitional medicine centers and the further development of projects on transitional medicine.

The Sino-American Symposium on Clinical and Translation Medicine has been held twice beforehand, once in 2010, and the other in 2011, becoming one of the most influential academic conferences in the field of transitional medicine. Recent years, as can be seen clearly from the 2012 symposium, has witnessed rapid progress in researches focused on transitional medicine, as well as noticeable achievements made in the construction of research institutes in this field. Facing such facts and encouragements, the 2012 symposium stressed that we should seize the precious opportunity by conducting forward-looking studies in the development strategy of transitional medicine as well as learning advanced experiences from other countries, aiming at putting forward the development strategy, development pattern as well as planning of transitional medicine that is most suited to the Chinese reality as soon as possible, promoting sound and rapid development of transitional medicine in China. (By Liu Xinqing, Yuan Shuoqi and Zhao Xilu, July 2012; translated by Liu Chang)