On November 14-15, 2023, the SMART Symposium & the First International Migrasome Conference was grandly held in Shenzhen. The conference was jointly hosted by the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation (SMART) and the Shenzhen Bay Laboratory (SZBL), with strong support from SZBL and the laboratory of Professor Li Yu from Tsinghua University. The event attracted over 100 researchers from multiple countries including China, the United States, Germany, and Israel. Professor Li Yu from Tsinghua University, the discoverer of migrasomes, and Researcher Lin Deng from SZBL delivered opening remarks for the conference.

Group photo of attendees

Migrasomes, a novel type of organelle, were first discovered and reported in 2014 by Professor Li Yu from Tsinghua University. They are widely present in various migrating cells, tissues, and organs, playing key roles in cellular biological processes such as organelle quality control, intercellular material and information transfer, cell-cell communication, and the construction and maintenance of the cellular microenvironment. Over the past decade, an increasing number of scientists and frontline clinicians have joined migrasome research, gradually establishing migrasome biology as a new and influential field. In his opening address, Professor Yu emphasized that migrasomes, interconnected with the cell body via retraction fibers, serve as crucial mediators for cells to actively perform functions, a key feature distinguishing them from other extracellular vesicles.

The conference was structured into four modules: the biogenesis mechanism of migrasomes, their biological functions, clinical applications, and research methodologies. At the outset, Professor Li Yu delivered a comprehensive presentation on migrasomes from various perspectives. He detailed the molecular mechanisms of migrasome formation and their biological functions, outlined future research directions, and highlighted potential challenges facing the field. He encouraged the community to confront these challenges proactively and uphold the highest standards in migrasome research.

Professor Li Yu from Tsinghua University delivering the conference's opening keynote

Subsequently, over 20 researchers shared the latest advancements in migrasome studies from different angles. As the sole presenter from a non-research institution, Dr. Chen Dai, R&D Director of Beijing Migrasome Biotech Co., Ltd., provided a detailed report on the application of migrasomes in drug loading and delivery. He explained that Migrasome Biotech currently adheres to the fundamental concept of 3R (Read, Rebuild, Rectify), integrating modern drug development technologies to explore novel therapeutic targets and corresponding drug development for various diseases with unmet medical needs. The company is leveraging the unique properties of migrasomes to build platforms for disease diagnosis and drug delivery. Following each session, Professor Yu listened to challenges encountered by presenters in their research, offering guidance and suggestions to help them achieve further significant discoveries. Additionally, the conference featured a product exhibition. Beijing Migrasome Biotech Co., Ltd., where Professor Yu serves as the scientific founder, participated as a sponsor and introduced its upcoming migrasome purification kit.

Dr. Chen Dai from Beijing Migrasome Biotech delivering a conference presentation

At the conclusion of the conference, Dr. Leili Ran, Chief Business Officer of Migrasome Biotech, moderated a roundtable discussion on the application of migrasome research in the medical and pharmaceutical fields. Panelists included Professor Bei Cai from the Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital; Donglin Cao from the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital; Dr. Wei Peng from Honghui Capital; and Dr. Hongwei Liang from Nanjing University. They engaged in a lively and in-depth discussion on the future prospects of migrasome applications in medicine.

Dr. Leili Ran from Migrasome Biotech moderating the roundtable session

The conference received enthusiastic responses and active participation, constituting a high-level academic feast. During the closing ceremony, Professor Li Yu stressed that migrasome biology, as an emerging and original scientific discovery, is currently at a critical period of rapid development, requiring collaborative efforts from researchers to forge a new phase in its advancement. Finally, Professor Yu stated that his laboratory and Migrasome Biotech are committed to providing researchers across various fields with more reliable migrasome research tools, lowering the barrier to entry for migrasome studies, and welcoming more scholars to join this exciting field of research.

About Migrasome Biotech

Beijing Migrasome Biotech Co., Ltd. was founded in April 2022 in Beijing Changping Life Science Park under the leadership of Professor Li Yu from the School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University. It is an innovative drug R&D company based on the novel biological discovery of "migrasome biology." Professor Yu's team first discovered and named the novel organelle—the migrasome—in 2012, accumulating over a decade of extensive research on migrasome biology and its disease relevance. Building upon Professor Yu's globally pioneering original research and integrating modern drug development technologies, the company focuses on utilizing migrasomes as an innovative drug delivery platform, developing migrasome-based disease diagnostics, and creating drugs targeting migrasome regulation. It aims to address significant unmet medical needs from a groundbreaking perspective.