Guangzhou, June 5, 2026 – The 2nd Aging Research Symposium, held jointly with the 5th Youth Forum on Gerontological Sciences, was successfully convened at the Academic Lecture Hall of Jinan University on June 5, 2026. The event was hosted by the School of Medicine, Jinan University and co‑organized by the journal Aging Research. The symposium was co‑chaired by Professor Guobing Chen, Dean of the School of Medicine at Jinan University; Professor Linda Hildegard Bergersen from Jinan University; and Professor Evandro Fei Fang from the University of Oslo and Akershus University Hospital, Norway. The forum brought together top experts and scholars from the fields of immunosenescence and brain health, both domestically and internationally, attracting over 100 faculty members and students to participate.

Building on the academic mission of the inaugural Aging Research Symposium, this year's forum focused on major scientific questions in aging immunology, neurodegenerative mechanisms, and brain health promotion strategies. The program showcased cutting‑edge international advances in geroscience, significantly promoting cross‑disciplinary integration between aging research, basic medicine, and neuroscience.

Group photo of the distinguished experts and speakers

Morning Session: Immunosenescence and Neurodegenerative Mechanisms

The morning session featured seven high‑caliber academic presentations, covering cutting‑edge topics in immunosenescence, neurodegenerative disease mechanisms, and brain health regulation.

Professor Yamei Tang from Sun Yat‑sen Memorial Hospital, delivered a talk entitled "From Glymphatics to Immunity: Fundamental Mechanisms of Brain Injury and Neurodegeneration". She systematically elaborated on the basic mechanisms of glymphatic system impairment in neurodegenerative diseases, offering new perspectives on the immune response following brain injury and the progression of neurodegeneration. Professor Xiaojiang Li from Jinan University presented on "Using large animals to investigate ALS", highlighting recent progress in studying amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using large‑animal models. Professor Evandro Fei Fang gave a talk entitled "ULK1‑dependent autophagy in healthy brain ageing". His findings indicated that age-related decline in ULK1 protein levels impairs autophagy and mitophagy, thereby accelerating the pathological progression of Alzheimer's disease.

Morning plenary session in progress, partⅠ

Professor Linda Hildegard Bergersen systematically presented the critical role of lactate signaling in brain energy metabolism and neural function regulation, opening up new avenues for research on the "lactate–brain health" axis. Professor Zhenglong Gu from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) spoke on "Mitochondrial DNA mutation and diseases". Starting from the basic functions of mitochondria, he elaborated on their core roles in energy metabolism, signal transduction, and immune regulation, with a focus on the mechanistic links between mitochondrial DNA mutations and various diseases. Professor Hongbo Zhang from Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat‑sen University, presented on "Skeletal muscle aging and its regulation", sharing research progress on the regulatory mechanisms of skeletal muscle aging.

Professor Weili Yang from Jinan University delivered a talk entitled "New pathogenic insights from monkey models of Parkinson's disease", sharing novel insights into the pathological mechanisms of Parkinson's disease, providing important references for mechanistic studies and the development of intervention strategies.

Morning plenary session in progress, partⅡ

Afternoon Session: Cancer Immunotherapy, Mitochondrial Regulation, and Neural Circuits

The afternoon session featured a diverse and thematically rich program, covering topics from tumor immunology to cutting‑edge work by emerging researchers. Professor Xin Chen from the University of Macau opened with a talk on targeting TNFR2 in cancer immunotherapy, highlighting the translational potential of this approach in reshaping the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and offering new options for solid tumor treatment. Professor Guang Lu from Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat‑sen University, revealed the multiple roles of VCP/p97 in mitophagy and neuronal homeostasis, shedding light on protein quality control imbalance in neurodegenerative conditions. Professor Chenglong Xie from Wenzhou Medical University presented his team’s latest findings on mitochondrial homeostasis regulation in Parkinson’s disease, highlighting how mitochondrial quality control dysfunction drives disease progression and offering new perspectives for early diagnosis and intervention. Professor Song Lin from Jinan University shared intervention strategies for depression through lateral habenula‑mediated neural circuits, opening up new directions for neuromodulation‑based treatment of depressive disorders.

Afternoon plenary session in progress

Postdoctoral Session: Emerging Research in Geroscience

A dedicated session for early‑career researchers featured presentations from four outstanding postdoctoral fellows. Xurui Jin from the University of Oslo introduced a multi‑agent‑supported automated bioinformatics research framework. Panthakarn Rangsinth from Jinan University presented "From Mushroom to Medicine: Unlocking Healthy Aging with Blood Lingzhi", sharing progress on the health‑promoting potential of this natural product. Zijian Wang from the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University (Dongguan Eastern Central Hospital) elucidated the role and mechanism of Tmem144 in T‑cell immune responses. Chanjuan Zhang of Shenzhen People's Hospital (the Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University) reported on the involvement of the transmembrane transporter TMEM144 in septic cardiac dysfunction. Collectively, the presentations by these young researchers showcased the vitality and innovative thinking of the emerging generation in geroscience.

Postdoctoral researchers' presentations session

Summary and Outlook

This symposium systematically showcased China’s latest advances in immunosenescence, neuroscience, and health promotion, while building a high‑level academic exchange platform for scholars both domestically and internationally. It also provided valuable opportunities for early‑career researchers to present their work and expand collaborative networks.

As a co‑organizer of the event, the journal Aging Research will continue to uphold its core mission of “promoting the interdisciplinary integration of aging research and preventive medicine, and serving global aging health governance”. The journal remains committed to facilitating academic exchange and development in aging and geriatric medicine, actively disseminating the latest achievements and technologies in the field, strengthening international collaboration, and driving scientific progress and knowledge innovation in aging research in China.