The 2025 Annual Conference of the Overseas Chinese Society of Microbiology (Sino-Micro), co-organized by the Sino-Micro, the State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology (Nanjing University), Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital (Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School), and the School of Life Sciences of Nanjing University, was successfully held in Nanjing from June 7 to 8, 2025.

Under the theme "Microbial Impact on Health and Environment," the conference aimed to address cutting-edge issues in fundamental and clinical microbiology research, share novel discoveries, and foster a global platform for exchange and collaboration. Following the opening ceremony, plenary lectures were delivered by renowned academicians including Zixin Deng, Jorge Galán (USA), Scott Hultgren (USA), and Yiping Han (USA).

The program proceeded with specialized symposia where hundreds of scholars presented their latest findings and insights across a broad spectrum of microbiology disciplines. Key topics included antibiotic resistance, bacterial pathogenesis, environmental microbiology, translational medicine in infectious diseases, microbiome roles in cancer/chronic diseases, metagenomics, parasitology, phage applications, synthetic biology in drug discovery, and viral diseases.

Professor Xiang Gao delivered an invited lecture titled "Interbacterial Warfare in the Human Gut," sharing his laboratory’s advances in Bacteroides research. His presentation sparked in-depth discussions with attendees.

Doctoral candidates Weixun Li and Piqian Gong from Prof. Gao’s lab actively participated throughout the conference. They meticulously attended presentations, with particular focus on developments relevant to their own research fields, and maintained detailed records. The breadth of groundbreaking work presented significantly inspired their scientific perspectives and broadened their international outlook. The organizing committee is gratefully acknowledged for their exceptional efforts in hosting this event.

A highlight occurred during the conference when Prof. Gao kindly introduced the two doctoral students to Prof. Jorge Galán, a National Academy of Sciences (USA) member and Prof. Gao’s former postdoctoral mentor at Yale University. The students seized this unique opportunity for a brief yet enriching discussion with the eminent scholar, followed by a commemorative photo capturing this valuable academic exchange.

Text and image: Weixun Li, Piqian Gong.

Reviewed by: Xuyao Jiao.

Editor:Yujie Wang.