The 4 th International Symposium on Antler Science and Product Technology will be convened As the only male secondary sexual appendages of deer,

Transcription

1 The 4 th International Symposium on Antler Science and Product Technology will be convened As the only male secondary sexual appendages of deer, antlers have aroused much attention from both Eastern and Western scholars for more than two thousand years, which explains their extraordinary value. Eastern scholars (particularly in China) and practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) have treated velvet antler (VA, at growing phase) as a mythical medicinal material, as referred to in compendia of clinic efficacy following long-term practice (for example, Shennong s Classic of Materia Medica, written more than 2000 years ago). Western scholars of mammalian biology have also considered antlers as an organ of significant interest, and have long observed and described their unique biological phenomena (for example, Aristotle BC). These two spheres of interest of the East and the West are maintained today. Eastern scholars discovered and continue to discover the clinical efficacy of VA, and developed and continue to develop prescriptions containing VA ingredients in combination with other herbs. There are now hundreds of VA-related prescriptions in classic TCM literature, which has indisputably made VA the foremost animal-derived medicinal material. As a result, antler is known to every Eastern household as a precious TCM. In recent years, particularly since the late 20 th century, systemic research has been carried out on bioactives, pharmacology and clinical efficacy of VA by scholars mainly from China, Korea and Japan, who have published numerous papers on their studies. In the West, from the 20th century onwards, scholars who have been attracted by the unique and astonishing biological phenomena of antlers have focused their studies on antler growth and development, particularly in the following areas: endocrine control of antler development, antler histology, and search for the very tissue/cells responsible for antler generation and regeneration. These studies have led to the use of antlers as valuable biomedical models for multiple purposes. Gratifyingly, since the end of the last century, more and more Eastern scholars have become interested in investigating the underlying molecular mechanisms of

2 antlers unique biological phenomena and have published scientific papers in prestigious Western journals. Similarly, Western researchers (mainly from New Zealand, Australia, Russia and Canada) have begun to appreciate the medicinal/health supporting properties of VA, thereby producing velvet products as functional foods, nutraceuticals or dietary supplements. The organizers for the ASPT series appreciate that these two antler research directions are not independent, but complementary. Studies on antler development may open a new avenue for the discovery of the VA mystery compounds that have unique pharmacological efficacy. For example, the stimulating factors for antler growth and development may be the bioactives of VA responsible for some clinical efficacies (such as tonifying Yang), and vice versa. That is why the main purpose of this series has always been to bring together antler biologists, producers, processors, pharmacists and physicians to share each other s new findings and experiences and support the formation of new collaborations to give impetus to the development of this fascinating field. Since ASPT3, 7 years have gone by. Knowledge on antler science and product technology, VA bioactives and pharmacological efficacy has progressed significantly. Under these circumstances, the Chinese Deer Farmers Association (China being the biggest VA-consuming country) and Deer Industry New Zealand (New Zealand being the biggest VA-producing country) consider it timely, if not overdue, to hold the 4 th ASPT. Through discussion, Changchun (Chinese hometown of Sika deer) has again been selected as the venue, which will be held this year from August, the golden autumn in China s northeast. Changchun extends a very warm welcome to ASPT4 attendees! 1. Organizer and Sponsor Organizers: Institute of Special Animal and Plant Sciences of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences(CAAS), Deer Industry New Zealand, Jilin Engineering Research Center for Deer Antlers, Chinese Deer Farmers Association

3 Sponsor: Company Group of Jilin Dong Ao Deer Industry 2. Date and Venue Date: August 15-16, 2018 (Morning 15 th registration; afternoon 15 th and whole day 16 th symposium) Venue: Shuang Yang district of Changchun city, Jilin province, Yulong Hot Spring Resort Pick-up places: Changchun LongJia Airport, Changchun Railway Station, Changchun West Railway Station Post symposium tour: August 17: Visit Xifeng deer product markets and Zhenyu Hard Antler Museum by bus 3. Form and content of the Symposium 1. Plenary lectures: Oral reports of velvet antler research and industry development from invited domestic and foreign scientists and entrepreneurs, and discussions between the presenters and participants on the presented topics. 2. Posters and product introduction 3. Proceedings: Conference proceedings in English consisting of written abstracts of the lectures will be produced to accompany the lectures. All speakers (including authors of posters) should therefore submit abstracts in English of the papers in advance. Selected papers of outstanding quality will be published in the journal of Animal Production Science (SCI). 4. The ASPT series The 1 st international symposium on ASPT was held in Banff, Canada from 9-12 April 2000 and organized by professor Jeong Sim et al. from Alberta University. The 2 nd ASPT was held in Queenstown New Zealand from February 2004, and organized by Dr Jimmy Suttie et al. from AgResearch Ltd. The 3 rd ASPT (ASPT3) was held in Changchun China from September 2011 and organized by Dr Chunyi Li et al. from the Institute of Special Animal and Plant Sciences, CAAS.

4 5. Chair of the Symposium Co-Chair: Prof. Chunyi Li, Director of High Tech Division, Chinese Deer Farmers Association Co-Chair: Mrs Catharine Sayer, Science and Policy Manager, Deer Industry New Zealand Secretaries:Prof. Tiejun Hu and Dr Haiping Zhao 6. International steering Committee Chairman: Prof. Chunyi Li Members: Catharine Sayer, Yanmei Wang, Hui Zhang, Lihua Zhang, Tiejun Hu, Quankai Wang, Wei Shi, Xueqi Fu, Li Xu, Yimin Wang, Haitao Li, Tony Pearse, Rhys Griffiths, Jimmy Sui, Dawn Coates, Stephen Haines 7. Local Organizing Committee Chairman: Ms Yanmei Wang, Chair of the Company Group of Dong Ao Deer Industry Members: Haiping Zhao, Xiaoli Wang, Longxia Fu, Hengxing Ba, Hongmei Sun, Datao Wang, Wenhui Chu, Xiaoyan Qi, Hailu Wang, Fangzhou Du, Guokun Zhang, Zhen Liu, Qianqian Guo, Yudong Shang, Chun Yang, Gang Yao, Min Wei, Dingyuan Jiang 8. Contacts Hailu Wang: ; Xiaoli Wang: ; Haiping Zhao: Correspondence address: Institute of Special Animal and Plant Sciences, CAAS, No. 4899, Juye Street, Jingyue Development Zone, Changchun City, Jilin Province, China. Post code: Sign up Participants must fill in the return receipt form (attachment) and send it to: 10. Symposium Information Website

5 Institute of Special Animal and Plant Sciences of CAAS Deer Industry New Zealand Jilin Engineering Research Center of Deer Antlers Chinese Deer Farmer s Association Company Group of Jilin DongAo Deer Industry