Prof. Vance L. Trudeau, President of the International Society for Fish Endocrinology and distinguished endocrinologist from the University of Ottawa, visited IHB on April 8, 2026. (Credit: IHB)

Prof. Vance L. Trudeau, President of the International Society for Fish Endocrinology and distinguished endocrinologist from the University of Ottawa, visited the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on April 8 for academic exchanges and delivered a lecture titled “Multifactorial control of fish reproduction by the secretogranin-2 system.”

Fish reproduction is regulated by more than 20 neuroendocrine factors, including neuropeptides and neurotransmitters. In recent years, using fish as a model organism, Prof. Trudeau and Professor HU Wei’s team at IHB have jointly identified a novel reproductive hormone in vertebrates - Secretoneurin (SN).

During his presentation, Prof. Trudeau highlighted key advances in understanding SN’s role in fish reproductive development. Using scg2 mutant zebrafish as a model, the team revealed that SN plays a crucial role in fish courtship behavior. They further discovered that SN is transported via exosomes and directly activates GnRH neurons, promoting their proliferation. Most recently, Prof. Trudeau’s team established a full-gene knockout zebrafish model for scg2, opening new windows into its functions in reproductive regulation.

Prof. Hu briefly reviewed 15 years of collaborative research between IHB and the uOttawa. Following the lecture, attendees engaged in in-depth discussions with Professor Trudeau.

Prof. Trudeau has maintained a long-standing collaboration with IHB’s Research Group on Fish Gene-Engineering. This visit aims to review joint research findings and discuss next steps for continued partnership, with the goal of achieving new breakthroughs.