The Sixth National Zebrafish Principal Investigator (PI) Conference convened from November 15 to 17, 2024 in Wuhan. (Credit: IHB)

The Sixth National Zebrafish Principal Investigator (PI) Conference convened from November 15 to 17, 2024 in Wuhan, attracting 380 experts and scholars in zebrafish and aquatic animal research—the highest attendance in the event's history.

Organized by the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the conference featured a distinguished lineup of speakers and attendees. Prof. SUN Yonghua, director of the China Zebrafish Resource Center, chaired the opening ceremony. Notable participants included Profs. ZHU Zuoyan (CAS member) and MENG Anming (CAS member), institute director MIAO Wei, deputy director HU Wei, Prof. LIU Feng—chair of the Zebrafish Branch of the Chinese Society of Zoology—and deputy director SU Lihua from the Hubei Provincial Science and Technology Department. Director MIAO Wei, Prof. LIU Feng, and Academician MENG Anming delivered opening remarks.

Over the two-day event, prominent figures such as Prof. MENG Anming, Prof. Carl-Philips Heisenberg of the German Academy of Sciences, Dr. DU Jiulin from the Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology under the CAS, and Prof. LUO Lingfei from Fudan University presented keynote addresses. Additionally, more than 90 experts delivered presentations covering a broad spectrum of topics, including maternal factors and early development, reproduction and physiology, hematopoiesis and related diseases, signaling regulation in development and disease, imaging and screening, neurodevelopment and disorders, alternative model organisms, cardiovascular development and diseases, pharmacology and molecular toxicology, and omics and new technologies.

The conference also hosted the 2024 "Zeiss-Zebrafish Scientific Research Award" ceremony. Prof. HE Jianbo from Southwest University received the Outstanding Young Scholar Award, while Dr. WANG Xiaosi from IHB was honored with the Outstanding Postdoctoral Paper Award; both presented their research findings. Eight graduate students from various institutions were also recognized for their exemplary papers.

Held biennially, the National Zebrafish PI Conference is China's premier academic gathering in zebrafish research, consistently organized by the CZRC. The center serves as a core facility of the National Aquatic Biological Resource Center and is recognized as one of the world's leading zebrafish resource centers.

This year's conference set new records in attendance, scale, and academic excellence, effectively promoting collaboration among Chinese scientists in zebrafish and aquatic experimental animal research, and increasing public interest in model organisms like zebrafish.

Prof. ZHU Zuoyan (CAS member) attended the opening ceremony of the Sixth National Zebrafish Principal Investigator (PI) Conference. (Credit: IHB)

Prof. MIAO Wei addressed at the opening ceremony of the Sixth National Zebrafish Principal Investigator (PI) Conference. (Credit: IHB)

Prof. LIU Feng, chair of the Zebrafish Branch of the Chinese Society of Zoology, addressed at the opening ceremony of the Sixth National Zebrafish Principal Investigator (PI) Conference. (Credit: IHB)

Prof. MENG Anming (CAS member) addressed at the opening ceremony of the Sixth National Zebrafish Principal Investigator (PI) Conference. (Credit: IHB)

Prof. SUN Yonghua, director of the China Zebrafish Resource Center, chaired the opening ceremony.  (Credit: IHB)

Dr. WANG Xiaosi from IHB was honored with the Outstanding Postdoctoral Paper Award of the 2024 "Zeiss-Zebrafish Scientific Research Award". (Credit: IHB)