2022 Australia and ASEAN Development Committee membership meeting of The International Chinese Musculoskeletal Research Society (ICMRS) was held at Gold Coast, Queensland - 2 August 2022. The members were welcomed by Prof. Jiake Xu, the committee Chair, together with lifetime members of ICMRS, Prof. Ming-hao Zheng, Prof. Hong Zhou, Prof. Yin Xiao, and Prof. Rachel Li. This meeting was highlighted by a speech by Professor Ming-hao Zheng, the current president of ICMRS, sharing the history and goals of ICMRS. Prof. Hong Zhou (Ex-chair of the Board of Directors) and Prof. Rachel Li also shared their experience with ICMRS and their scientific career achievements, exemplifying female scientists in the field. Prof. Yin Xiao also delivered a speech about his recent work and his job in a new institute. Congratulations to Prof. Yin Xiao who has recently become a distinguished Professor at Griffith University, at Gold Coast, Queensland. Thanks to Prof. Yin Xiao who contributed to the local organization of this meeting, including the selection of a very nice local cuisine. Special guests include Prof. Peter Lee from the University of Melbourne and Ph D student Eugenie Macfarlane from the University of Sydney. We appreciate the professional photos taken by Prof. David Haynes. The meeting was organised by the Australia and ASEAN Development Committee Chair, Prof. Jiake Xu. The gathering was a very happy occasion to meet many friends face to face alongside the beautiful beach of the Gold Coast.

Dear Colleagues:

On the occasion of New Year 2022, my best wish to our members of ICMRS is that may prosperity and success come to you. May you win more research grants and publish more papers in prestigious journals.  

Looking back to year 2021, we all have experienced the relentless changes in our global community. In spite of Covid 19 pandemic has disrupted our lives, we have demonstrated our resilience and developed many innovative ideals for engagement with our members throughout the year. ICMRS, has run more than 20 global webinars and two regular membership meetings this year. The attendance rate of the on-line meetings has been always very high ranged between 150 to 300 members.  In year 2021 ICMRS has developed from strength to strength and has increased membership to over 600 members today.  Our society official journals have now become top ranking journals in the field of musculoskeletal research. Bone research has reached impact factor of 13.567 and Journal of Orthopaedic Translation has impact factor of 5.191. For the first time ICMRS has run virtual celebration of new year and holiday break. The performances and shows from our members at the celebration were increasable. Here I like to take an opportunity to thank you all. You are the member of the ICMRS family and have made positive contributions to the society.

Looking forward to year 2022, I am optimistic that the pandemics will have far less impact on our live.  To improve our engagement with members and with our ICMRS collaborative centres in China, I would like to share our three key initiatives with you in the new year

• 1)     ICMRS has invested significant resources and is now in process to establish several awards to recognise the great achievements made by our members for their scientific research and services to the ICMRS community. There will be an career achievement for members in recognition of their life long career achievements in basic research, translational research and/or clinical research, a mid-career research excellent award for our mid-career members aged below 50 and have completed their highest degree for more than 10 years, and ICMRS Community Service Medals to recognise long and diligent service by members to the society.
• 2)     We will continue to run year-round virtual seminars and introduction of education workshop run by the ICMRS collaborative centres in China. To encourage better engagement, the board has implemented bilingual presentations for the virtual seminars and workshops. Our membership meetings have changed being Spring and Summer membership meetings and will continue engagement with ORS and ASBMR annual meetings. 
• 3)     With the uncertainty of pandemic, we hope that the 5th ICMR Conference will be held in Shanghai in November 2022. 

Finally, May warmest thoughts and best wishes for a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year. May love, safe and prosperity follow you always.

Professor Minghao Zheng, MD, PhD, FRCPath FRCPA

President of ICMRS

Medical School, The University of Western Australia

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2022

The International Chinese Musculoskeletal Research Society (ICMRS) will hold its 2022 ICMRS Virtual Spring Membership Meeting in February. 

The membership webinar meeting will be organized to provide a forum for ICMRS members to exchange the information in all frontiers of musculoskeletal research to bridge the knowledge gap between the scholars from different research fields. To recognize the achievement of young ICMRS members, all Webster Jee Young Investigator Finalists will present their work at the meeting and the Awards will be presented to the winners at the meeting. The winners will be announced during the membership meeting and each awardee will receive an award certificate/plaque and a cash award.

All applicants are asked to attend the meeting because the award will only be given to the attendees. Applicants may find details about ICMRS at http://www.icmrs.net. The program of 2022 ICMRS Membership Meeting will be announced soon.

Eligibility

·      Current ICMRS member (for registration: http://www.icmrs.net/join-us)

·      First author of accepted ORS abstract for 2022 annual meeting

·      Current graduate and/or medical student, post-doc or equivalent, junior faculty and professionals who received PhD or MD no more than 5 years

·      Has not received the award previously

·      Applicants are not required to be of Chinese heritage

Selection

The accepted ORS abstract in both blind and un-blind formats should be submitted to the following e-mail address: icmrs@icmrs.net, no later than January 15, 2022. All submitted abstracts will be peer reviewed in a blind fashion by a review panel appointed by the ICMRS Program Committee. The top scored abstracts will be selected as the winners. As a general rule, no more than one award will be given to the applicants from the same research laboratory/group.

The annual ICMRS-ASBMR Membership Zoom Meeting was held online on October 9, 2021. Professor, Guozhi Xiao, the Program Committee Chair of ICMRS from Southern University of Science and Technology, hosted the meeting. He started by welcoming all ICMRS members, distinguished professors and nonmember guests to attend the meeting. Professor, Ling Qin, the outgoing president of ICMRS from the University of Pennsylvania, firstly introduced Professor Guozhi Xiao as the new president-elect, followed by her “Outgoing President Speech” in that she gave a summary report on the current state of ICMRS and the society’s progresses in the last two years under her leadership. She stated that, by working closely with the ICMRS Executive Committee, her team re-prioritized the initial goals to meet the challenges posed by unexpected COVID19 pandemic. Achievements in her term include, but not limited to, mask distribution during the pandemic, continuous expansion of ICMRS membership and collaborating centers, membership payment restructuring, establishment of ICMRS Scientific Frontier Webinar Series, and functionalization of ICMRS WeChat public account.  

Next, Professor Minghao Zheng from the University of Western Australia, officially made his inaugural address as the new ICMRS president (term 2021-2023). He delivered a presentation to share with his vision on how to honor the past, celebrate the present and embrace the future,  with the focus on three key areas - commemorate the contribution of past Chinese scholars in the field of musculoskeletal research and education; create more awards for members’ recognition and celebration of achievement and contribution in musculoskeletal research and to the society; and provide an engaging environment for better interactions and collaboration among the members

This year membership meeting has invited two keynote speakers. Dr. Janet Rubin, a Sarah Graham Kenan Professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina @ Chapel Hill provided a highly fascinating presentation entitled “Cells differentiate dynamic from static strain: Nuclear entry of β-catenin, actin and YAP”. Dr. Chuanju Liu, a professor of orthopaedic surgery and cell biology at New York University, presented fundamental scientific findings from his laboratory in “Decoding Anti-inflammatory TNF Receptor 2 Signaling in Autoimmune and Musculoskeletal Diseases”.

Following the keynote speeches are our traditional Webster Jee Young Investigator Award ceremony and oral presentations by the six Webster Jee Young Investigator Awardees on their excellent award-winning research work in the field of bone and cartilage biology and diseases. This year’s winners are Xiaohao Wu from Southern University of Science and Technology, Yuhan Xia from Cornell Medical College and Hospital for Special Surgery, Gongsheng Yuan from University of Pennsylvania, Zhongyang Lv from Nanjing University, Xiaoan Wei and Zeyu Zheng both from Zhejiang University. A cash prize of $500 and an award plaque will be given to each awardee shortly after the meeting.

This meeting has achieved a great success with more than 370 ICMRS members and guests attended the meeting. Here are some screenshots of the meeting moments.

As you’d be aware, there has been a significant escalation in the Covid 19 pandemic around the world. Traveling and gatherings may add risk of exposure to the Covid 19, which can potentially & significantly disrupt our activities at work and life.

Considering the risk of having the conference is too great to take, the executive committee of ICMRS and Shanghai University has decided to reschedule the 5th ICMR Conference in Shanghai this November to November next year.

Further announcement of meeting will be made in June 2022.

Professor Minghao Zheng

Chair of Scientific Committee

5th ICMRS conference

Dear ICMRS Members and Friends:

I am pleased to invite you to attend the 2021 ICMRS-ORS Virtual Membership Meeting, which will be held virtually at 8 pm (Eastern Time, US) on February 27, 2021 (Saturday) on Zoom.

Where:

Zoom meeting link will be emailed to members.

When:

February 27, 2021 (Saturday) 8:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

2021年2月28日（星期日）北京时间上午9:00 （中国）

February 28, 2021 (Sunday) 9:00 AM Perth (Australia - Western Australia)

The meeting will be a great opportunity for members to discuss the activities and functioning of the society, as well as to meet old friends and start new friendships in a pleasant social setting.

This year we will host a forum on knowledge on translation and outcomes by inviting world-renowned leaders in the field.

Professor Rocky S. Tuan, Vice-Chancellor and President, Lee Quo Wei and Lee Yick Hoi Lun Professor of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Click here for Dr. Tuan's short biography.

Professor Steve Wilton, Director, Perron Institute and Murdoch University, Perth; Click here for Dr. Wilton's short biography.

In addition, we will hold a traditional Webster Jee Young Investigator Award Ceremony at the meeting to feature scientific accomplishments by our young ICMRS members.

The following is complete agenda for this meeting:

8:00 PM   Members check in for the zoom meeting (EST, USA)

8:05 PM   Welcome, Professor Ming Hao Zheng (Perth)

8:10 PM   President's Speech, Professor Ling Qin (Philadelphia)

8:20 PM   Webster Jee Young Investigator Awards Announcement

              Chaired by Professors Bin Li (Suzhou) and Gang Li  (Hong Kong)

8:20 PM       Liu, JT -  Age-associated callus senescent cells produce TGF beta1 that inhibits bone fracture healing in aged mice  (7min presentation and 3 min questions)

8:30 PM       Leilei Zhong - Transient expansion and myofibroblast conversion of marrow adipogenic lineage precursors (MALPs) mediate bone marrow repair after radiation

8:40 PM      Fei Fang -  Dynamic Transcriptional Profile of Gli1-lineage Enthesis Cells at Single-cell Resolution

8:50 PM    Wenzheng Wang - Contributions of Modeling- vs. Remodeling-based Bone Formation to an Anabolic Window upon Early Withdrawal from Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) and PTH related Peptide (PTHrP) Treatments

9:00 PM   Forum on Knowledge impact and translation to outcomes chaired by Professor Minghao Zheng

                 Professor Steve Wilton, Director, Perron Institute and Murdoch University, Perth

The  molecular drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

                 Professor Rocky S Tuan, Rocky S. Tuan, Vice-Chancellor and President

                 Lee Quo Wei and Lee Yick Hoi Lun Professor of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Mesenchymal Stem Cell-based Cartilage Tissue Engineering and microJoint Tissue Chip

                      (Plus: Regenerative Medicine in the New Normal)

10:30 PM  Discussion

11:00 PM  Meeting Conclude

I am looking forward to seeing you on Zoom!
 
Sincerely yours,

Minghao Zheng

President-Elect of ICMRS

Chair of 2021 ICMRS-ORS Membership Meeting

On October 25, 2020, the inauguration ceremony of the Shandong University Qilu Hospital Spine and Spinal Cord Center-International Chinese Musculoskeletal Research Society (ICMRS) Translational Medicine Joint Research Center was held at the general election conference of the basic theory Professional Committee of Shandong Provincial Pain Medical Association and Qilu pain basic research Summit Forum, Jinan, Shandong, China.

The inauguration ceremony was held by Professor Lei Cheng, chairman of the conference, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University. Professor Yuguo Chen, President of Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, and Professor Jianmin Li, honorary chairman of the conference, director of orthopedics, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University delivered welcome speeches and stressed the importance of combining clinical and basic medicine. Professor Tingting Tang, immediately past president of ICMRS made a speech and expressed expectations for the future of Joint Research Center. Professor Tingting Tang, Professor Yunzhen Chen, director of spine surgery, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Professor Xiaoling Zhang, chairman of ICMRS China Development Committee, Professor Li Bin, chairman of ICMRS Member Committee, Professor Yang Liu, chairman of ICMRS Youth Committee, and Professor Lei Cheng jointly unveiled the joint center.

At the symposium that followed, ICMRS lifetime member, Professor Chunli Song, Professor Tingting Tang, Professor Bin Li, Professor Xiaoling Zhang, Professor Liu Yang, Professor Ping Zhang gave wonderful academic lecture respectively, showing and communicating the new technology and new progress in basic and clinical research of orthopedic diseases and pain.

Speech by Professor Lei Cheng, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, chairman of the conference

The general election conference of the basic theory Professional Committee of Shandong Provincial Pain Medical Association and Qilu pain basic research Summit Forum, October 25, 2020, Jinan, Shandong, China

Speech by Professor Yuguo Chen, President of Qilu Hospital of Shandong University

Speech by Professor Jianmin Li, director of orthopedics, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, honorary chairman of the conference.

Speech by Professor Tingting Tang, Immediately Past President of ICMRS, Ninth Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine

The Inauguration Ceremony of Shandong University Qilu Hospital Spine and Spinal Cord Center-International Chinese Musculoskeletal Research Society Translational Medicine Joint Research Center

Lecture by Professor Chunli Song, ICMRS lifetime member, vice president of the Third Hospital of Peking University

Lecture by Professor Li Bin, Chairman of ICMRS Member Committee, Suzhou Institute of Orthopaedics

Lecture by Professor Xiaoling Zhang, Chairman of ICMRS China Development Committee, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine

Lecture by Professor Yang Liu, Chairman of ICMRS Youth Committee, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Military Medical University

Lecture by Professor Zhang Ping, ICMRS lifetime member and joint center director, Tianjin Medical University

The year of 2020 is a very special year in history. ICMRS has shown its strength, adaptability and endurance to get all our members together from different continents of the world. It is for the first time that ICMRS has a virtual annual membership meeting. It is very pleased to share with you that our 2020 annual ICMRS-ASBMR membership meeting hold in virtual style was very successful. It was live-streamed to more than 200 participants who attended the meeting.

This virtual meeting was started by the welcome and opening speech from Professor Minghao Zheng, President-elect and Chair of Program Committee. This year the president elect went to Australia, marking for the first time that President is outside of USA and China. Professors Liming Bian, Xinping Zhang and Weiguo Zou have also been elected as members of Board of Director.  

The President of the ICMRS, Professor Qin Ling from Philadelphia gave a speech summarizing the activities and progress of the society. Professor Minghao Zheng, new president elect has also given a brief on his vision of the society with focus on strong industrial link, the adaptability in current environment and the support of junior members.

 

Webster Jee Young Investigator Award

ICMRS has received over 30 abstracts for the competitions of annual Webster Jee Young Investigator Awards. Four had been selected for 2020  Webster Jee Young Investigator Awards and the Awardees had given their presentation at the Virtual meeting. The award recipients  Zheng Wang is from Texas A&M University College of Dentistry, Wei Yu is from University of Pennsylvania,   Rui Hua is from University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio,  and Lingxin Zhu is from University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Each of Winner will receive the award plaque and incentive.

The final program was a symposium on Forum on Knowledge translation and outcomes. Professor David Findlay (Adelaide) has given an outstanding talk on Good Science, Strong Bones, and the Case of RANKL Discovery while Dr David Ke has given a talk on the Mind Behind Translation of RANKL and Sclerostin to Outcomes. The meeting was concluded at 11 PM.

The 2020 Annual ICMRS-ORS Membership Meeting was held in Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA, on February 8, 2020. The meeting started with a buffet dinner at 7:00 PM.

The President of the ICMRS, Dr. Ling Qin, delivered the President’s Report. Dr. Qin started her presentation by introducing the ICMRS leadership structure, the Program Committee (Dr. Peter X Ma), Membership Committee (Dr. Bin Li), Communication Committee (Dr. X. Neil Dong), and the China Development Committee (Dr. Xiaoling Zhang). She then acknowledged other leaders, including Chair of Board of Directors (Dr. Yi-Xian Qin), Immediate Past President (Dr. Tingting Tang), Chair of Education Committee (Dr. Jean Jiang), Treasurer (Dr. Sherry Liu), Chair of Women’s Committee (Dr. Liyun Wang), Co-Chairs of Junior Leadership Development Committee (Co-Chairs, Drs. Liu Yang and X. Lucas Lu), Australia and Asian Development Committee (Dr. Jiake Xu), and Europe Development Committee (Dr. Baozhi Yuan).

Then President Qin focused her presentation on the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China. She expressed concerns over the collaboration centers in mainland China and Hong Kong, especially the Orthopedic Hospital of Wuhan Union Hospital. Doctors are overwhelmed with patients and are at great risk of contracting the disease. They are in shortage of medical protective gear for personal protection. Orthopedic doctors are taking care of coronavirus patients at orthopedic hospitals there. Dr. Qin hosted an emergency ICMRS leadership meeting when the news came out, coordinated ICMRS leaders to purchase protective masks and equipment, and managed to ship them to collaboration centers in China. President Ling Qin asked ICMRS members to be united to fight the coronavirus epidemics. If anyone has information about purchasing medical protective gear like N95 respirators and medical surgical masks or want to donate them, please contact ICMRS by email or mail donation to Dr. Xiaoling Zhang, Chair of China Development Committee. 

 

Then three Webster Jee Young Investigator Awardees were announced. The award recipients were Elizabeth R. Kahle from Drexel University, Shuangfei Ni from The Johns Hopkins University, and Lutian Yao from University of Pennsylvania. Each winner was presented with an award plaque and a cash prize.

The final official program was a Science and Technology Forum. Dr. Xu Cao from The Johns Hopkins University gave a presentation entitled “PTH Biology and Therapeutic Development.” Dr. Cao presented a vivid scientific story of PTH by introducing PTH biology from mammal migration from the sea to the land. He then presented data on PTH’s role in disease, regeneration of a variety of tissues, and its new applications treating various orthopedic diseases. The audience asked many questions and triggered many interesting discussions. The Forum ended at about 9:10 PM. Members socialized afterwards until the official closing of the meeting at 9:30 PM.

The International Chinese Musculoskeletal Research Society (ICMRS) will hold its 2020 ICMRS-ORS Membership Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, on February 8, 2020 during ORS 2020 Annual Meeting. This membership meeting is organized to provide a forum for ICMRS members to exchange information in all frontiers of musculoskeletal research to bridge the knowledge gap between the scholars from different research fields. To recognize the achievements of young ICMRS members, Webster Jee Young Investigator Awards will be presented to the winners at the meeting. The winners will be announced during the membership meeting and each awardee will receive an award certificate/plaque and a cash award. All applicants are asked to attend the meeting because the award will only be given to the attendees. Applicants may find details about ICMRS at http://www.icmrs.net. The program of 2020 ICMRS-ORS Membership Meeting will be announced soon.

Eligibility

·      Current ICMRS member (for registration: http://www.icmrs.net/join-us)

·      First author of accepted ORS abstract for 2020 annual meeting

·      Current graduate and/or medical students, postdocs or equivalent, junior faculty members and professionals who received PhD or MD no more than 5 years

·      Has not received the award previously

·      Applicants are not required to be of Chinese heritage

Selection

The accepted ASBMR abstract in both blind and un-blind formats should be submitted to the following e-mail address: icmrs@icmrs.net, no later than January 3, Friday. All submitted abstracts will be peer reviewed in a blind fashion by a review panel appointed by the ICMRS Program Committee. The top scored abstracts will be selected as the winners. As a general rule, no more than one award will be given to the applicants from the same research laboratory/group.