New APEC Molecular Biology Laboratory Network to be Established: Will Share Leading Life Sciences and Biotechnology Research
Life Sciences research in the Asia-Pacific has been given a boost with plans for APEC to establish an innovative molecular biology laboratory network to link together leading scientists, institutions, policy-makers and entrepreneurs.
The APEC Electronic International Molecular Biology Laboratory (eIMBL) will enable participating laboratories to share research equipment, materials, know-how and research findings. Scientists will also be able to engage in real-time peer discussion and analysis of results among laboratories participating in the "Unit Lab".
The decision to establish the eIMBL was made at the recent meeting of the APEC Industrial Science & Technology Working Group (ISTWG) in Gwangju, Korea, on March 15 to 16.
Chair of the meeting, Dr. Paul Cheung, said the eIMBL will enable the APEC region to better prepare to deal with potential threats such as SARS or Avian Influenza as well as increasing the competitiveness of the regional biotechnology sector.
"Regional governments have expressed their desire to make the development of life sciences biotechnology a priority in the region," Cheung said.
"The increasing need for regional cooperation and information sharing to deal with trans-border biomedical and agricultural as well as environmental concerns has been evident in recent years.
"The APEC eIMBL will enable greater collaboration to be carried out in leading centers of scientific excellence and we will all enjoy the benefits of the resulting information sharing.
"The network will also provide an opportunity to deliver the highest quality training to future life scientists and biotechnologists."
The ISTWG Meeting was also briefed on progress to establish the APEC Climate Centre in Korea. The centre will share climate data and information on weather systems with the potential to cause damage and loss of life in the APEC Region. The centre will use a central computer with substantial processing power, 3776 GB of memory and 75 TB of storage capacity, to process information.
The eIMBL and the APEC Climate Centre will be officially launched at the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting that will take place in Busan, Korea, in November.
Other issues covered at the 28th ISTWG Meeting included information on work being undertaken by the APEC Energy Working Group on hydrogen fuel cell technologies and preparations for the APEC Oceans-Related Ministerial Meeting in Bali, Indonesia, on September 16 to 17.
Delegates were also briefed on planning for the upcoming APEC-Youth Technology Innovation Collaboration Conference that will be held in Taipei, August, 19 to 22. The conference will bring together over 1000 students from around the Asia-Pacific for a range of events including a technology innovation competition and interactive sessions with leading innovators from the business sector.
The ISTWG's objective is to increase the capacity of the industrial science and technology sector in the APEC Region to improve quality of life while safeguarding the natural environment.