On May 7, 2026, at the invitation of Professor Chi Wei from the School of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Associate Professor and Doctoral Supervisor Wang Song from Southeast University visited our university and delivered an outstanding academic frontier lecture in the Lecture Hall on the third floor of the Xingzhi Building. The seminar was presided over by Professor Zhong Bojian, Dean of the School of Life Sciences.
Associate Professor Wang Song's presentation began with the current research status of microalgae, systematically elucidating the research value of this field. He emphasized the significant role of Phaeodactylum tricornutum as a model system in synthetic biology, and structured his talk around the central theme of metabolic engineering of microalgae. Regarding the regulation of the fucoxanthin metabolic network, he introduced strategies for achieving the synthesis of high-value carotenoids through targeted engineering, demonstrating promising prospects for industrial application. In the area of natural product synthesis, he shared his team's interim achievements in constructing the complete biosynthetic pathway for paclitaxel using microalgae. Furthermore, the report covered advances in key technologies such as the development of gene-editing tools and the construction of novel chassis cells, and illustrated the translational application of this work in environmental remediation through concrete examples.
Following the presentation, Associate Professor Wang Song actively engaged with the attending faculty and students. He provided detailed responses to questions regarding algal cultivation methods and technical pathways in different application scenarios, drawing on specific cases and practical experience, which fostered a lively discussion.
This lecture offered faculty and students a valuable opportunity for face-to-face exchange with an outstanding scholar in the field, broadened their academic horizons, and deepened their understanding of algal research and its applications, greatly benefiting the subsequent work on related projects.