Okayama University held a research workshop on protecting livestock from viral infection at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science’s Harbin Veterinary Research Institute (HVRI) in Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, China, from 20 to 22 July. The workshop was titled the Second Sino-Japanese Wisdom-Sharing Workshop on Protecting Livestock from Viral Infection: Innovative Antivirus Technology Wisdom-Sharing Platform

Serious economic and social losses due to damage caused by viruses have become a global issue in livestock farming. R&D for early diagnosis and prevention of infection is therefore being strongly sought after to protect livestock from viral infection. Through this workshop, in cooperation with HVRI, which holds cutting-edge livestock infection control technology, we endeavored to strengthen and promote Sino-Japanese research collaboration, technological developments and actual implementation in society by sharing knowledge among participating Japanese and Chinese researchers who are active in this academic field.

Researchers from RIKEN and the National Institute of Animal Health of the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization also participated in the workshop alongside Okayama University. Norito Satoh, University Research Administrator at Okayama University, who serves as Consortium Program Manager of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ Innovative Technology Promotion Project (Integration Research for Agriculture and Interdisciplinary Fields), outlined the project and introduced the situation regarding R&D and promotion of innovative virus diagnosis and control methods. A tour of the HVRI research facilities and the associated vaccine manufacturing enterprise was followed by a lively exchange of views between researchers and enterprise officials that may lead to sharing of the latest knowledge in the academic field and more effective joint research and social implementation .

This workshop was implemented as a part of the activity of the Innovative Antivirus Technology Wisdom-Sharing Platform that disseminates the latest research findings gained from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ Innovative Technology Promotion Project (Integration Research for Agriculture and Interdisciplinary Fields), in which Okayama University serves as one of the Centers of Excellence (Research Representative: Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology (Engineering) Professor Takashi Sera). We intend to continue to push forward vigorously with R&D that will bring about innovations for the agricultural, livestock, forests and fisheries sectors and society as a whole.

For more information on the Innovative Technology Promotion Project (Integration Research for Agriculture and Interdisciplinary Fields), please see our website at: //www.okayama-u.ac.jp/user/ibunyapj/index.html

Reference: Innovative Antivirus Technology Wisdom-Sharing Platform, First Workshop: DECS Analysis - An exhaustive RNA virus diagnosis (May 28 and 29, 2015)

Contact information
SERA Takashi, Professor
Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology (Engineering)
pknk9xi0(a)cc.okayama-u.ac.jp
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