科技日报实习记者 余昊原
金砖国家中国、俄罗斯、印度、巴西和南非是国际遗传工程和生物技术中心（ICGEB）的重要成员，它们在生物技术领域拥有广泛的多边关系。印度和南非，是ICGEB设有主要实验室的两个国家；俄罗斯和巴西，是与ICGEB建立密切联系的两个国家；而中国与ICGEB的合作关系，通过在金砖国家倡议下的共同合作，得到了进一步加强。
图片来源：国际遗传工程和生物技术中心
11月26日至27日，在巴西坎皮纳斯，第三次金砖国家科技创新生物技术和生物医学工作组会议成功举行。来自ICGEB特里雅斯特（Trieste）总部的分子病毒学实验室主任亚历山德罗·马尔切洛与ICGEB下属的中国生物技术发展中心(CNCBD)主任于善江一起出席了会议。
图片来源：国际遗传工程和生物技术中心
金砖国家合作旨在补充和加强成员国间业已存在的双边和多边关系。其中，生物技术和生物医学，包括人类健康和神经科学，是属于ICGEB任务范围内的优先合作领域之一。此工作组会议重点聚焦确定科学主题，并希望可以通过跨国形式加以安排。
（工作组会议上）还特别强调了传染病（的研究问题）。特别是在研制新药、药物转用、单克隆抗体、诊断工具和疫苗等用于治疗和预防传染病的耐药调查，包括抗菌素和抗病毒药物。此外，（工作组）考虑建立基于大数据采集、患者分析和病原谱分析的新工具，用于早期诊断和治疗。
ICGEB来华研究金项目的设立和明年初将在泰州成立的ICGEB区域研究中心(RRC)，成功使ICGEB处于完美的位置。它将可以为确定生物技术发展与合作的优先领域，提供机构建议和专业知识。
ICGEB, P.R. China and the BRICS countries
BRICS Countries Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are prominent, full members of ICGEB with multilateral relationships within the broad field of Biotechnology. With major ICGEB laboratories in India and South Africa and strong ties with Russia and Brazil, the collaboration between the ICGEB and China is further strengthened by joint collaboration under the BRICS initiatives.
The 3rd BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Working Group Meeting on Biotechnology and Biomedicine took place in Campinas, Brazil on 26-27 November 2019. Alessandro Marcello, Molecular Virology Group Leader from ICGEB Trieste was present, together with Shanjiang Yu, Division Director of the China National Center for Biotechnology Development (CNCBD), ICGEB’s Affiliated Centre.
BRICS cooperation is aimed at complementing and strengthening existing bilateral and multilateral relations among member countries. Biotechnology and Biomedicine, including Human Health and Neurosciences, is one such priority area of cooperation, which falls within the ICGEB mandate. The Working Group Meeting focused on identifying scientific themes, which can best be addressed by a multinational approach.
Special emphasis was dedicated to infectious diseases. In particular, the development of new drugs, drug repurposing, monoclonal antibodies, diagnostic tools and vaccines to cure and prevent infectious diseases in the investigation of drug resistance, including antibiotics and anti-viral drugs. Furthermore, the establishment of new tools based on big data collection and analysis of patients and pathogen profiling for early diagnosis and treatment was considered.
The establishment of the ICGEB In-China Fellowship Programme and the forthcoming inauguration of ICGEB Regional Research Centre (RRC) in Taizhou early next year, places the ICGEB in the perfect position to offer institutional advice and expertise in defining priority areas for development and cooperation in the field of Biotechnology.
