On 8-9 June 2015, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) renewed commitment to strengthen their partnership by launching the Joint Laboratory for Ruminant Disease Control (JLRDC) based in Lanzhou, a city southwest of Beijing.

ILRI and CAAS officials and scientists at the Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, where the new joint animal disease laboratory is located (photo credit: ILRI).

The newly established and recently inaugurated laboratory in Lanzhou will focus on research on infectious diseases of ruminants and explore new research areas related to their control. One research activity will focus on developing vaccinology approaches, such as next-generation sequencing and proteomics, to characterize pathogens at the molecular level, with the aim of developing new vaccines and diagnostic tests. Additional activities may include defining the genes of ruminants that contribute to disease resistance and arthropod vectors of disease.

Jianxun Luo, deputy director general of Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, and Iain Wright, ILRI’s deputy director general, during the formal launch of the new joint animal disease laboratory (photo credit: ILRI).

Aside from conducting advanced genomics and vaccines research, the Lanzhou agreement will also allow for capacity building through training and mutual exchange of scientists and graduate students, including from other parts of Asia. This is expected to further strengthen cooperation and deepen ties between the two research institutes.

Signing ceremony in Beijing

The event in Lanzhou was preceded by the signing of two letters of agreement (LoA) between CAAS and ILRI. One LoA was for the new Lanzhou laboratory, and the other was to renew the agreement on operation of the Joint Laboratory on Livestock and Forage Genetic Resources (JLLFGR) in Beijing, which has been operating for more than a decade.

Iain Wright and Jinxiang Li, CAAS vice president, signing the letters of agreement to renew extended operation of the joint laboratory in Beijing and establish the new joint animal disease laboratory in Lanzhou (photo credit: ILRI).

Jinxiang Li, CAAS’ vice president attended the ceremony and signed the LoAs on behalf of CAAS, while Iain Wright, deputy director general, signed on behalf of ILRI.

Also present at the signing ceremony were Dongxin Feng, director general of CAAS’ International Cooperation Department (ICD), Ke Jin, head of Multilateral Cooperation Division of ICD, Hong Yin, director general of Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute (LVRI) and Jie Wen, deputy director general of the Institute of Animal Sciences of CAAS. From ILRI Vish Nene, Jianlin Han and Xianglin Li, ILRI-China liaison scientist, attended the ceremony.

Download ILRI-CAAS research outputs on CGSpace, ILRI’s online archive.