The 2025 China Aging Science Conference & International Conference on Aging Biology was grandly held in Wenzhou from April 18 to 20. As a premier academic gathering in the field of aging science, the conference brought together eight renowned domestic and international academicians specializing in aging research—Pei Gang, Zhang Xu, Wang Songling, Xu Guoliang, Li Jinsong, Eric Gilson, Li Xiaokun, and Song Weihong—along with over 150 leading scientists. Through various formats including keynote reports, roundtable discussions, and specialized parallel forums, participants engaged in in-depth exchanges and intellectual collisions around the theme "Interdisciplinary Frontiers of Aging Science (Aging+)." They collectively explored key strategies to address the challenges of population aging, contributing the wisdom and strength of the "Chinese approach" to the global response to aging issues.
The conference attracted widespread attention and active participation from numerous renowned domestic and international universities, research institutes, medical institutions, and healthcare enterprises, gathering over 1,200 experts, scholars, and leaders from related fields. Simultaneously, editors-in-chief and editors from more than 20 domestic and international academic journals, including Nature Aging, gathered on-site to jointly build an academic exchange platform.
Building an Ecosystem for Aging Research and Application
This conference innovatively proposed the "Aging+" concept. This paradigm centers on aging science and aims to form a systematic, innovative approach to tackling the challenges of aging through deep integration and collaboration across disciplines, fields, and cultures. Characterized by openness, inclusiveness, sharing, and connectivity, its core is to build a sustainable, equitable, and efficient ecosystem for aging research and application through multi-dimensional open cooperation and resource sharing. Over the three days, nearly 100 lectures focused on cutting-edge topics in aging and age-related disease research, investigated the cellular and molecular mechanisms of organ aging, analyzed the progression of degenerative diseases, discussed countermeasures, promoted the translation and collaboration of aging research from basic science to clinical practice, and further drove innovation and breakthroughs in aging science.
The conference was jointly organized by the Aging Cell Biology Branch of the Chinese Society for Cell Biology, China Anti-Aging Promotion Association, the Aging Genetics Branch of the Chinese Society of Genetics, the Aging Biology Branch of the Biophysical Society of China, the Aging and Health Professional Committee of the Chinese Association for Physiological Sciences, the Basic and Translational Medicine Branch of the Chinese Geriatrics Society, the Geriatrics Branch of the Chinese Gerontology and Geriatrics Society, the Anti-Aging Branch of the Chinese Gerontology and Geriatrics Society, and the Chinese Aging Biomarker Consortium. It was co-hosted by Oujiang Laboratory, the Aging Research Institute of Wenzhou Medical University, and the Geriatric Medical Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University. Academician Pei Gang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Honorary President of the Chinese Society for Cell Biology, served as the Honorary Chairman. Academician Li Xiaokun of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Chief Scientist of Oujiang Laboratory and President of Wenzhou Medical University; Liu Guanghui, Member of the Academic Advisory Committee of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and researcher at the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; and Academician Song Weihong of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, Director of Oujiang Laboratory and Academic Vice President of Wenzhou Medical University, served as Co-Chairs. Academician Song Weihong also served as the Executive Chairman.
Since the inaugural China Aging Science Conference in 2018, this major academic event in the field had been successfully held four times by 2023. In 2024, the conference was held in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province for the first time, and its return in 2025 continues to deepen academic exchange and cooperation in the field of aging science.
In recent years, Wenzhou has accelerated the development of its life and health industry, striving to build a new highland for the sector and establish itself as a regional medical and wellness hub, promoting synergistic innovation in industry, academia, research, medicine, and care. Within this context, Oujiang Laboratory has conducted in-depth research in aging science, making continuous efforts in regenerative medicine and eye-brain health. In the field of Alzheimer's disease, the laboratory focuses on elucidating its pathogenesis, exploring methods for early screening, diagnosis, and treatment, and is committed to related drug development. Concurrently, the laboratory has also conducted research on new mechanisms of FGF (Fibroblast Growth Factor) treatment for metabolic diseases, with relevant results published in top-tier international journals.
During the conference, the Aging and Health Professional Committee of the Chinese Association for Physiological Sciences and the Aging Biology Branch of the Biophysical Society of China held their respective 2025 leadership transition meetings. The Geriatric Medicine College of Wenzhou Medical University convened an expert consultation meeting on the disciplinary construction plan for geriatric medicine, offering constructive suggestions focused on the training objectives for geriatric medicine talents and the development of the geriatric medicine curriculum system.
Speeches by Leaders
Wang Zhenyong, Vice Mayor of Wenzhou Municipal People's Government and Secretary of the Party Committee of Oujiang Laboratory, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech. He pointed out that exploring the mechanisms of aging, as a major subject in life sciences, is not only crucial for human health and well-being but also represents a frontier for the development of new quality productive forces. He expressed the hope that through this conference, experts and entrepreneurs would join hands to scale new heights in scientific research, collaboratively attract and cultivate top-tier talent, and jointly build an industrial highland. Furthermore, he hoped that academicians and experts could recommend more high-quality projects, cutting-edge technologies, and top talents to settle in Wenzhou, striving to realize the beautiful vision of "seeing an innovative China in Wenzhou."
Pei Gang, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Honorary President of the Chinese Society for Cell Biology, stated that the global aging trend is advancing at an unprecedented rate, which is both a significant achievement of human civilization and a core public health issue of the 21st century. Faced with this cross-border challenge, technological innovation has become the key to solving the dilemmas posed by aging. With breakthrough progress in interdisciplinary cutting-edge technologies, humanity's understanding of the nature of aging is undergoing a profound paradigm shift. These breakthroughs not only reshape our understanding of the programmed decline of life but also open up new possibilities for establishing precise intervention systems. He expressed the hope that, through the platform of the Chinese Aging Biomarker Consortium, forces from all sides could be凝聚 to promote consensus, collective action, and sharing within the field of aging research, advance the development of aging biology and medicine, extend the human healthspan, and contribute to building a community with a shared future for human health.
Jin Huanmin, Secretary of the Party Committee of Wenzhou Medical University, in his welcome speech, stated that amidst the intensifying global aging trend, Wenzhou Medical University has continued to deepen its efforts in the field of aging science research. Similarly upholding the "Aging+" concept, the university actively promotes the deep integration of multiple disciplines and courageously explores innovation. He firmly believes that the碰撞 of ideas and交融 of wisdom among the experts at this conference will undoubtedly provide innovative solutions to address the challenges of aging.
Li Xiaokun, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Chief Scientist of Oujiang Laboratory, and President of Wenzhou Medical University, stated that in recent years, Oujiang Laboratory and Wenzhou Medical University have closely collaborated, deepened the reform integrating education, research, and talent, and built a complete innovation chain encompassing industry, academia, research, and application. They have successively established the Aging Research Institute, the Geriatric Medicine College, and the Geriatric Hospital of the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, thereby forming a comprehensive geriatric medical center integrating healthcare, teaching, and scientific research. He hopes that this conference will further advance research on aging science, explore the core principles of aging, promote the deep integration of basic research and clinical application, use the key of innovation to unlock the secrets of longevity, and illuminate the aging era with the light of technology.
The opening ceremony was chaired by the conference Co-Chair, Song Weihong, Academician of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, Director of Oujiang Laboratory, and Academic Vice President of Wenzhou Medical University.
Decoding Aging
On April 19, during the keynote report session, twelve distinguished experts and scholars delivered a series of presentations. The speakers and their topics were:
· Eric Gilson, Foreign Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging, Nice (IRCAN), France:
o Title: The Telomeric Protein Trf2 as an Aging Regulator
· Zhang Xu, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangdong Institute of Intelligence Science and Technology:
o Title: Development and Aging of Nociceptive Neurons
· Wang Songling, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology:
o Title: Patterns and Molecular Mechanisms of Dentofacial Development
· Xu Guoliang, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai Institutes for Life Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences:
o Title: Plasticity of Methylation Landscapes During Growth and Development: Generating Semi-cloned Mice Using Androgenetic Haploid Stem Cells Lacking DNA Methylation
· Li Jinsong, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences / Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine:
o Title: Establishment and Application of Semi-cloning Technology
· Song Weihong, Academician of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, Director of Oujiang Laboratory, Academic Vice President of Wenzhou Medical University:
o Title: Research on the Pathological Mechanisms and Treatment of β-amyloid in Alzheimer's Disease
· Xu Huiji, Chief Physician, Changzheng Hospital Affiliated to Naval Medical University:
o Title: Allogeneic CAR-T Cell Therapy for Autoimmune Diseases
· Stephen R. Williams, Researcher, Oujiang Laboratory; Professor, Monash University:
o Title: Dendrites - Subcellular Processors That Implement Neuronal Circuit Computations
· Riqiang Yan, Chair, Department of Neuroscience, UConn School of Medicine, USA:
o Title: Targeting Glial BACE1 for Alzheimer's Treatment
· Liu Chenli, Director, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Director, National Key Laboratory of Quantitative Synthetic Biology; Director, National Innovation Center for Biomanufacturing:
o Title: Quantitative Synthetic Biology: Creating-Knowing-Creating
· Han Jingdong, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University:
o Title: Multimodal Single-Cell Screening Reveals the Function of Aging-Associated lncRNAs and Their Role in Cellular Senescence
· Liu Guanghui, Member of the Academic Advisory Committee, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences; Researcher, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences:
o Title: Programming and Reprogramming of Aging，As a vivid practice of the "Interdisciplinary Frontiers of Aging Science (Aging+)" concept, these conference reports integrated cutting-edge technologies from developmental biology, neuroscience, genomics, artificial intelligence, and other disciplines. By analyzing the mechanisms of aging from multi-dimensional perspectives, they injected innovative momentum into the field, constituting a splendid academic feast.
The roundtable discussion session that afternoon was chaired by Song Weihong and Song Yangzhou. Distinguished guests including Pei Gang, Zhang Xu, Wang Songling, Eric Gilson, Han Jingdong, Shen Yong, Yan Riqiang, Zhou Zhongjun, and Danica Chen engaged in exchanges and discussions around hot topics in aging research such as the "Innovative Applications and Prospects of AI and Large Models in Aging Research," "Collaborative Innovation Models to Promote the Development of the Aging Research Field," and "Translation Strategies for Aging Research from Laboratory to Clinic and Market."
The conference specially featured a poster presentation session to showcase the innovative achievements of young scholars. A panel of 20 experts from various research institutions and universities across the country, through an independent scoring mechanism, selected 20 outstanding works from over a hundred posters and presented honorary certificates to the awardees. This initiative aims to recognize exemplary young scholars and inspire more emerging research talents to scale new heights in the field of aging research.
Live from the Academic Scene
On the morning of April 18, during the popular science session, to help enhance public scientific understanding of aging-related diseases, Professor Wang Yan from Wuhan University delivered a presentation titled "Biological Processes of Blood Lipid Metabolism and the Pathogenesis of Hyperlipidemia." She systematically interpreted the pathological mechanisms of hyperlipidemia, intervention strategies, and recent advances in the development of novel lipid-lowering drugs. Professor Zhang Yun from Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital participated in the discussion as a special guest.
On the afternoon of April 18, the conference organized two parallel forums focusing on "Frontiers in Aging Science." Highlighting cutting-edge progress in aging research from both domestic and international perspectives, 28 field experts shared their latest research findings, demonstrating the diverse appeal of the aging research field and receiving high praise from attendees. The forums featured a special invited report by Anna Kriebs, Senior Editor of Nature Aging, on the "Guide to Submitting to Nature Aging and Nature Research Journals."
On April 20, the conference meticulously organized three parallel forums centered around the theme "Interdisciplinary Aging Science." More than 60 distinguished scholars from various disciplines, leveraging their profound expertise in their respective fields, delivered a series of brilliant presentations closely aligned with current hot topics in interdisciplinary aging research. They conducted in-depth analyses of key challenges facing the field and engaged in forward-looking discussions on future directions, fully demonstrating the broad prospects and significant potential of interdisciplinary aging science research.
This China Aging Science Conference & International Conference on Aging Biology attracted over 1,200 participants. Its substantial scale and rich content demonstrated the academic community's strong focus and enthusiasm for aging-related issues, reflecting the vibrant vitality and dynamism within the field of aging research. The conference provided an invaluable platform for showcasing scientific achievements, exchanging technical expertise, and promoting multi-party collaboration in aging research, thereby helping to advance China's aging research and related translational applications to new heights. With the successful conclusion of the 2025 China Aging Science Conference, we eagerly look forward to reconvening for the next edition of this distinguished event!
