Leading scientists from the Institute of Microbiology,Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Pakistan’s National Reference Laboratory for Poultry Diseases (NRLPD) have held a bilateral video conference to explore collaboration on recombinant vaccines against Newcastle Disease (NDV) and Avian Influenza (AIV).

    The meeting, held on July 13 2026, was co-chaired by Academician George F. Gao, Director of the CAS-TWAS Centre of Excellence for Emerging Infectious Disease (CEEID), and Dr. Hamid Irshad, Program Leader at NRLPD, part of the Animal Sciences Institute (ASI) at the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), Islamabad.

    The Pakistani delegation, which included Dr. Naila Siddique and Dr. Sami Ullah, provided an overview of NRLPD’s capabilities as an internationally accredited (ISO/IEC-17025) lab and a SAARC Regional Leading Diagnostic Lab for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. Discussions focused on leveraging China's advanced experience in recombinant vaccine development to address poultry health challenges in Pakistan.

    Both sides agreed to pursue this initiative through the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), aligning with recent high-level agreements to enhance agricultural and livestock cooperation between the two nations. This collaboration aims to promote international scientific exchange, improve poultry disease control, and contribute to food security by strengthening the bilateral S&T partnership.