On Dec. 14, the West China-Birmingham Cooperative Seminar on Rare Diseases was held in the Medical Technology Building of WCH. Eight experts from Birmingham, including Vice President Jon Frampton and Professor Jean-Baptiste Cazier from the University of Birmingham, and Vice President Cheng Nansheng of WCH, heads of WCH’s relevant departments, Institutes for Systems Genetics and the Prenatal Diagnosis Center of West China Second University Hospital, attended the meeting. This is the fourth bilateral activities held in the field of rare diseases since the establishment of WCH-Birmingham Joint Research Institute for Health and Biomedical Informatics (the JRI). More than 20 experts and professors participated in the event online.

Vice President Cheng Nansheng reviewed the establishment of the JRI, and raised ardent expectations for further cooperation between both sides and future development of this institute. The Outpatient Department, International Office, the Department of Science and Technology, and the Institutes for Systems Genetics gave introductions of the development of West China Rare Disease Center, the international cooperation modes of WCH, the application of international cooperation project funds at the levels of state, province, city and WCH, as well as the research directions and progress of the Institute for Systems Genetics, respectively. Vice President Jon Frampton and Professor Jean-Baptiste Cazier, etc., described the latest research directions and results of the University of Birmingham.

Experts from both sides also discussed the development of phenotype profile matching tools for rare diseases, the training of high-level talents, the modes and contents of regular academic exchanges and scientific research cooperation, and also drafted a pragmatic cooperation plan.