The World Cryobiology and Biobanking Conference (CRYO 2017) hosted by University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) and several industry leaders was successfully held at Hefei Fengda International Hotel from July 20 to July 23. This is also the first time that the conference was held in China since its initiation. The Conference, which comprises fundamentals of cryobiology, cryogenic techniques, biopreservation and biobanking,is one of the worldwide events of low-temperature science. The theme of the Conference is Cryopreservation and Biobanking for Advanced Research, Modern Agriculture and Precision Medicine.Prof. GAO Dayong from the University of Washington, who is also USTC “Master Chair Professor II” at School of Information Science and Technology andPresident-elect of the Society for Cryobiology (SFC, http://www.societyforcryobiology.org/about-the-sfc), held the post of General Chair. Prof. ZHAO Gang of USTC served as the Board Governor of SFCand Chair ofthe CRYO 2017 Executive Committee.

The conference consists of eight featured symposia, namely “Basic and Applied Cryobiology Research”, “Cryopreservation of Stem Cells and Immune Cells”, “AdvancedTechnology of Biopresevation”, “Cryopreservation of Reproductive Cells and Tissues”, “Animal and PlantCryobiology and Its Application in Modern Agriculture”, “Cryopreservation of Blood Cells and Blood Products”, “Gene Cryopreservation/Banking and Precision Medication”, and “Entrepreneur Forum”. All accepted abstracts will be published inCryobiology,a famous international journal for low-temperature biology.

In the morning of July 21, Prof. GAO Dayong presided over the opening ceremony. Hefei municipal leader QIAN Yansongaddressed a welcome speech on behalf of the Hefei City Government.SFC President Dr. Jason Ackerpresented the honorable Luyet Medal to Prof. GAO Dayong so as to recognize his outstanding contribution to development of low-temperature science over the decades.

The conference attendees include current and former leaderships of the Society for Cryobiology (SFC) and the International Society of Biological and Environmental Resources (ISBER), experts from the American Association Blood Banks (AABB) and the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB). CRYO 2017 reached a historical largest scale of over 500 conventioneers from all over the world. 

During the conference, many experts and scholars visited the Laboratory of CryoBME & Medical Microsystems, USTC and expressed their wills to collaborate with USTC in the field of Cryo-Biomedical Engineering (CryoBME) as well as other related interdisciplines. The Lab was established by Prof. ZHAO Gang in 2010 and has by far become a distinctive CryoBME laboratory that possesses academic impact at home and abroad.

The Conference brought together a large number of the world's top cryobiologists and promoted both fundamental and technological innovations in the field of low-temperature biology. It will hopefully improve the international prestige and academic impact of USTC and our country in the field of low-temperature biology.