Connecting East to West

My first exposure to a Gordon Research Conference occurred early in my career, but its effect on my professional development has been tremendous and long lasting. In the early 1980s, during the course of my scientific education and training in the United States, I attended the Synaptic Plasticity Gordon conference. I was immediately impressed by its unique format. Researchers from all over the world engaged in intellectual exchange. At the same time focus on specific topics helped me assess the relevance of my research direction to the field of neuroscience as a whole. The opportunity to converse with and present my ideas to leading figures in the field invigorated me, and the ensuing discussions enhanced my research interest in neurotrophic factors and neuronal signal transduction.

The impact of GRC extends beyond personal development, however. Gordon Conferences have helped promote and enhance regional scientific excellence, especially scientific progress in Asia. After spending a brief period working in the biopharmaceutical industry in the United States, I returned to Hong Kong in 1993 to assume a faculty position at the newly established Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). Since that time Asia has undergone astounding growth in the quality, quantity, and importance of its contributions at the forefront of science. In particular, many Asian countries have invested heavily in neuroscience research; the establishment of RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan and the Institute of Neuroscience at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai, China, are examples of this investment in an institutional form. Hong Kong also made great strides in establishing a world-class research infrastructure and has emerged as a leader in molecular neuroscience.

In 1998 the region’s neuroscience community received a major boost when the first Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology GRC was held in Beijing, China. The conference attracted scientists from across the region and overseas. I was subsequently elected vice chair of the conference’s next meeting, scheduled to be held at HKUST in 2000, and was heavily involved in its organization. The 2000 conference was well received, and when the GRC board of trustees decided to establish a permanent Asian site at HKUST, we felt a huge sense of achievement. Since then two successful Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology Gordon Conferences have been held at that location–one in 2002, which I chaired, and one in 2004 for which I acted as the local coordinator.

Establishing a venue for Gordon Conferences in Asia has been an important step toward recognizing Asia’s contribution to neuroscience. Asia’s involvement in the field is confirmed by the participation in GRC of large numbers of scientists from overseas, as well as prominent re-searchers, including, for example, Nobel laureates Paul Greengard and Robert Horvitz, both of whom presented their lead findings during the 2002 Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology GRC. Horvitz also presented his work at the 2004 conference. Holding such a prestigious conference in Asia has also provided many Asian scientists, unable to travel to conferences overseas for various reasons, the priceless opportunity to engage with their international peers in their own backyard. It has also made Gordon Conferences more accessible to Asian students, thereby offering Asia’s budding scientists invaluable exposure similar to what I received as a young scientist in the United States.

In its short history in Asia, GRC has already led to successful exchanges of research ideas, collaborations, and the development of competitive postdoctoral training opportunities for Asian students and other junior scientists. Furthermore, the intensive scientific interactions have advanced molecular neuroscience research and neurodrug discovery in Asia. In terms of my own research program, for example, I had the opportunity during the 2002 conference to discuss scientific interests with John Trojanowski and Virginia Lee from the University of Pennsylvania. Since these early encounters we have established collaborations focused on the discovery and development of small-molecule drugs isolated from traditional Chinese medicines that possess promising biological activities for the treatment of various neuropathologies.

By encouraging open communication about important issues at the frontiers of neuroscience, GRC plays an important role in the development and recognition of scientific excellence in Asia. GRC offers international forums for discussing and sharing the latest advancements and observations, and provides an environment for cultivating collaborative interactions. The significance of such an open dialogue should not be underestimated: it can facilitate the development of a truly integrated and collaborative global scientific community.