| Biography | |
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 Prof. Limin Chen Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, China |
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| Title: The emerging infectious diseases and blood safety: what we have learned from COVID-19 pandemic? | |
| Abstract: Emerging and unexpected infectious diseases may threaten blood safety. Since the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Dec. 2019, COVID-19 has brought huge medical and economical burden to the whole world. Although numerous progress has been made in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, there exists many unmet needs. Viral RNA (Viremia) and whole virus particles detected in the blood samples of some SARS-CoV-2 patients brings alarms that this COVID-19 pandemic may endanger blood safety. In this presentation, updates on the progress and management of COVID-19, especially novel understanding on SARS-CoV-2 infection and blood safety as well as how to identify those pathogens that may endanger blood safety will be discussed. | |
| Biography: Dr. Limin Chen, a professor with Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS)/Peking Union Medical College (PUMC) and also an affiliate scientist with the University of Toronto, now is the director and chief scientific officer of the center for transfusion transmitted infectious diseases, Institute of Blood Transfusion (IBT), CAMS/PUMC, Member of the American Association for Studies of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and Canadian Association for Studies of Liver (CASL). He got his MD, MSc in biochemistry and molecular biology in China, PhD in molecular genetics at the University of Toronto. Dr. Chen obtained his postdoctoral training both at Merck Research Laboratories (West Point, PA) and at the Harvard Medical School (MGH) . Currently Dr. Chen’s research focuses on the virus-host interaction of the transfusion-transmitted viruses, especially on HCV and HBV. He pioneered the work on identification of the response signature and proposed a novel mechanism on how HCV exploits host innate immune response to benefit its persistent infection and resistance to interferon-based therapy. | |
