Promoted by the CAS-TWAS Centre of Excellence for Emerging Infectious Disease (CEEID), Professor Farkhod from the S.Y. Yunusov Institute of Plant Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan and the Institute for Advanced Studies, New Uzbekistan University, paid a visit to the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IMCAS) on May 12, 2026, and delivered a special academic report.

    Professor Farkhod presented an academic report titled Investigating the biological activities of secondary metabolites of endophytic fungi: application of genomics and metabolomics. The report noted that endophytic fungi represent a rich and largely untapped natural resource, and their bioactive secondary metabolites hold significant potential for drug discovery and development.

    Professor Farkhod systematically introduced the main progress of his team’s research on endophytic fungal secondary metabolites using an integrated genomics and metabolomics approach. First, fungal strains were subjected to molecular identification, and untargeted liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was employed for metabolomic profiling to characterize the chemical diversity of the strains. Meanwhile, genomic sequencing and bioinformatics analysis were combined to identify and explore biosynthetic gene clusters involved in secondary metabolite production.

    On this basis, the team further evaluated the biological activities of fungal extracts and monomeric compounds, including antimicrobial, cytotoxic, and antiviral activities. Integrated multi-omics analysis not only accurately identified the core bioactive metabolites but also elucidated their biosynthetic pathways and mechanisms of action. Professor Farkhod emphasized that endophytic fungi serve as an excellent natural source for novel therapeutic drug development, and the combined genomics and metabolomics strategy demonstrates high efficiency and practicality in natural product discovery.

    Professor Farkhod specifically expressed his hope to conduct joint research with IMCAS in fields such as Biologically active compounds: From chemistry to medicine.

    The academic event attracted numerous researchers and students from the institute. Attendees included Professor Likui Wang, Secretary-General of CEEID; Professor Jianxun Qi , Professor Ling Liu, Professor Luoyi Wang, , Associate Professor Lifeng Fu , Associate Professor Pengwei Li, Postdoctoral researchers Muzaffar and Fazliddin from IMCAS and Associate Professor Shuai Shao from China CDC.

During the visit, Professor Farkhod also toured the laboratory of Academician George Fu Gao. The laboratory highlighted a series of groundbreaking and impactful scientific research achievements made by Academician George F. Gao’s team in the field of emerging infectious diseases, fully demonstrating the team’s research strength and academic influence.

    Both sides engaged in in-depth discussions on ongoing research projects and future collaboration directions, reaching a preliminary agreement on long-term academic exchanges and scientific cooperation. This visit lays a solid foundation for establishing a bilateral academic exchange platform and advancing joint research projects.