18-23 November 2019, Professor Tan from Institute of Life Sciences led research team members Yulong Li and Chanyu Jin to Australia to attend the 8th Asia-Oceania Symposium on Plant Lipids (ASPL 2019). ASPL 2019 took place at the Discovery Centre of the Commonwealth Scientific Industrial and Research Organization (CSIRO) in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.

ASPL is well established as the premier international scientific gathering in the field of plant lipid sciences involving scientists from Asian and Oceanian countries. ASPL2019 is being organized by senior Australian scientists and one of the world’s most respected teams for plant and algal lipid researchers who will assemble a world-class program of speakers and bring together a large group of leading international and local plant lipid researchers around 140 participants. There are 9 sessions in this symposium including Lipidomics and lipid metabolic analysis; Membrane lipids and environment; Waxes, sphingolipids, sterols and isoprenoids; Lipid droplets and storage lipids; Algae and microbial lipids; Lipids for food and nutrition; Lipase and lipid catabolism; Lipids and plant biotechnology; Synthetic biology.

During the visit, the team members carefully listened to the opening speech and the keynote presentations, and actively shared their academic results or research plans with a view to multi-party exchanges and cooperation. Xiaoli Tan gave an oral presentation entitled "Improving seed germination and oil contents by regulating the GDSL lipase transcriptional level in Brassica napus" in "Lipase and lipid catabolism" session. Yulong Li gave an oral presentation entitled " Construction of Rapeseed Mutant Library via Ac/Ds Transposition System" in "Synthetic biology" session. Master student Chanyu Jin showed the poster entitled "Cloning and functional research of BnaLACS8 in Brassica napus".

By attending this conference, members of the group learned about the latest trends in the development of biofuel and obtained the latest achievements in the breeding of oil crops. It has also reached cooperation intention with CSIRO in Australia and sejong university in Seoul, South Korea. At the same time, by sharing the research results of the laboratory, we have enhanced the international influence of Jiangsu university in the field of plant lipids research, which is of far-reaching significance.

Yulong Li