核酸科学一直都是全球生命科学与医学领域的核心研究方向，对推动全人类的精准医学、基因科学、细胞生物学、核酸药物和改善人类健康具有革命性的推动力和影响力，近年来核酸科学在诸多领域取得一系列原创性和突破性进展，成为最受学术与产业界瞩目的热点领域之一。

自2013年起举办的广州核酸国际论坛，历届论坛均由享誉世界的诺贝尔奖得主科学家领衔，由托马斯·切赫教授（1989年诺贝尔化学奖）和科学家克雷格·梅洛教授（2006年诺贝尔生理学或医学奖）担任大会执联主席，由三十多位国内外科学家担任科学委员会成员，旨在通过高端国际学术交流推动中国核酸科学和生物产业整体发展，促进全球范围内核酸科学学科发展，加快中国核酸产学研机构与国际顶尖学术及产业平台对接，促进中国同世界顶级科学家之间的对话。CNAF已经连续举办至第九届，演讲嘉宾均来自全球范围内顶级学术机构、科学团体或企业巨头，议题涵盖精准医学、生命科学、核酸药、生物标志物、非编码RNA等最新进展，论坛知名度与影响力得到国际学术界与产业界赞誉，成为中国核酸学术技术重要风向标。本届论坛主题如下：

1、非编码RNA研究前沿（Frontiers in non-coding RNAs）

2、mRNA生物学、翻译与治疗（mRNA Biology, Translation and Therapy）

3、核酸治疗的新进展（Advances in Nucleic Acid Therapeutics）

4、核酸药物的递送技术（Nucleic Acid Delivery）

Dr. Mello’s lab uses the nematode C. elegans as a model system to study embryogenesis and gene silencing. His collaborative work with Dr. Andrew Fire led to the discovery of RNA interference (RNAi), for which they shared the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Together they showed that when C. elegans is exposed to double-stranded ribonucleic acid (dsRNA), a molecule that mimics a signature of viral infection, the worm mounts a sequence-specific silencing reaction that interferes with the expression of cognate cellular RNAs. Using readily produced short synthetic dsRNAs, researchers can now silence any gene inorganisms as diverse as rice and humans. RNAi allows researchers to rapidly “knock out” the expression of specific genes and, thus, to define thebiological functions of those genes. RNAi also provides a potential therapeutic avenue to silence genes that cause or contribute to diseases.Dr. Mello received his BS degree in Biochemistry from Brown University in 1982, and PhD from Harvard University in 1990. From 1990 to 1994, he conducted postdoctoral research at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, WA. Now Dr. Mello is an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Blais University Chair in Molecular Medicine and Co-director of the RNA Therapeutics Institute at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.Besides the Nobel Prize, Dr. Mello’s work was recognized with numerous awards and honors, including the National Academy of Sciences Molecular Biology Award (2003), the Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences from Rockefeller University (2003), Brandeis University’s Lewis S. Rosnstiel Award for Distinguished Work in Medical Research (2005), the Gairdner Foundation International Award (2005), the Massry Prize (2005), the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Award (2006), the Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research (2006), the Hope Funds Award of Excellence in Basic Research (2008). He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society.

TBD