On September 28, Academia Sinica’s Office of Public Affairs hosted the “2011 Life Science Technology Conference”. The conference was held to facilitate technology transfer and licensing, and cooperation between industry and researchers. It introduced the latest developments in biotechnology-related research at Academia Sinica.

Twenty-six innovations were presented from the latest research in the biosciences at Academia Sinica, including advances in research into medical treatment, diagnostics and testing, vaccines and agriculture. Over 40 representatives from business and industry and 21 specialists and scholars took part in the event, which allowed representatives from business and industry sectors to explore licensing agreements and product innovations.

Included in the presentations were: two compounds purified from a Chinese herb that ameliorated the major symptoms of Huntington's disease in mice introduced by Dr. Yijuang Chern of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences; fibrillar proteins that inhibit cancer tumor cell invasion and migration introduced by Dr. Shu-Mei Liang of the Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center; and extracts from Dioscorea (white yam) that have been shown to enhance the immune system introduced by Dr. Ning-Sun Yang of the Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center.