On December 22 2023, Professor Wang Chen from the China Pharmaceutical University was invited by Professor Chen Xinchun from the Medical Department of Shenzhen University, to give the 93rd lecture of the Shenzhen University 40th Anniversary Celebration - Shenzhen Medical Forum. The lecture, titled "cGAS-STING Signaling in Diseases and Potential Drug Targets," attracted an audience comprising more than 80 faculty and students from the college. To start, Professor Chen Xinchun introduced the origins of the Shenzhen Medical Forum and, on behalf of the Medical Department, presented Professor Wang Chen with a commemorative plaque in recognition of this lecture.

In his lecture, Professor Wang Chen outlined the results of his latest research into the topic "cGAS-STING Signaling in Diseases and Potential Drug Targets." Specifically, he described: 1) The novel, non-classical function of nuclear cGAS, revealing how cGAS resists RNA viruses; 2) A new mechanism of miR-23a/b in the transcriptional regulation of cGAS expression; 3) The mechanism by which the molecular chaperone protein UXT promotes autophagic degradation of STING, thus inhibiting the expression of Type I interferons; and 4) The key pathological function of the cGAS-STING pathway in ischemic stroke and new strategies to improve neural function recovery post-ischemic stroke. Professor Wang Chen then outlined is future intentions to further analyze the structure of SN-011 with the full-length STING protein and to optimize the small molecule structure. During his talk, he emphasized the need to screen for lead compounds with drug-like properties in terms of toxicology and pharmacokinetics, to identify, verify, and expand the range of indications for lead compounds, and to further layout and protect related patents. To finish the lecture, Professor Wang Chen engaged in an interactive session with the attending teachers and students, who asked many insightful questions and expressed their gratitude for his excellent presentation.

Brief introduction to the speaker

Wang Chen: Distinguished Professor, Level-II, and "Outstanding Youth" recognized by the National Science Foundation of China. He received his bachelor's degree from the former Beijing Agricultural University (now China Agricultural University) in 1993 and his doctorate from the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in 1998. From 1998 to 2002, he underwent postdoctoral training at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, USA. From 2002 to 2016, he served as a Level-II researcher and PhD supervisor at the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He has served as the Deputy Director of the Key Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a delegate to the 13th and 14th Shanghai Municipal People's Congress, and a member of the 11th National Committee of Young People. Since 2016, he has assumed the role of professor, doctoral supervisor, and dean at the School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University.