Asian-Pacific Society for Neurochemistry

Asian-Pacific Society for Neurochemistry
Name	Asian-Pacific Society for Neurochemistry
Abbreviation	APSN
Formation	1991
Type	Learned society
Headquarters	Tokyo
Region served	Asia-Pacific
Leader title	President
Leader name	To be specified

Contents

Asian-Pacific Society for Neurochemistry is a regional learned society connecting neuroscientists across the Asia-Pacific region including members from Japan, China, India, Australia, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. It fosters collaboration among research groups affiliated with institutions such as The University of Tokyo, Peking University, Indian Institute of Science, University of Melbourne, Seoul National University and National University of Singapore while interacting with international bodies like International Society for Neurochemistry, Society for Neuroscience, European Society for Neurochemistry and funding agencies including Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and National Natural Science Foundation of China.

History

The society was founded in the early 1990s through initiatives involving scientists from Japan, Australia, China, India, South Korea and Taiwan who had participated in meetings organised by groups such as International Brain Research Organization, Human Frontier Science Program, Wellcome Trust, European Molecular Biology Organization and regional workshops linked to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Max Planck Society. Early leadership included investigators affiliated with Kyoto University, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Monash University, Yonsei University and Academia Sinica and collaborated with publishers like Nature Publishing Group, Cell Press and Oxford University Press. Over time, the society expanded amid increased regional funding from Australian Research Council, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, National Institutes of Health partnerships and bilateral programs with United States Department of Energy-supported initiatives and dialogues involving Royal Society delegations.

Governance follows a council model with elected officers including a President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer drawn from universities such as University of Sydney, Tsinghua University, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, University of Auckland and Nanyang Technological University. The Council works with committees on finance, meetings, awards and education, often liaising with organisations like International Society for Neurochemistry, World Health Organization, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation advisory bodies and national academies including Royal Society of London and Chinese Academy of Sciences. Bylaws reference assembly procedures similar to those used by American Association for the Advancement of Science, Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and Pan American Health Organization collaborations.

Membership comprises individual investigators, trainees and institutional representatives from societies such as the Japanese Society of Neurochemistry, Korean Neurochemical Society, Chinese Society for Neuroscience, Indian Neuroscience Association, Australian Neuroscience Society and Taiwan Neuroscience Society. Institutional affiliates include departments at Osaka University, Fudan University, IIT Bombay, University of Queensland, KAIST and Imperial College London partnerships. The society maintains relationships with philanthropic and research funders such as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Simons Foundation, Riken, European Research Council and regional ministries including Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan), Ministry of Science and Technology (China) and Department of Biotechnology (India).

The society organises biennial congresses rotating among host cities including Tokyo, Beijing, Seoul, Mumbai, Sydney, Singapore and Taipei, often co-hosted with national societies like the Japanese Society for Neurochemistry or universities such as The University of Tokyo and Peking University. Meetings feature keynote lectures by leaders from laboratories at Harvard University, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Max Planck Institute for Brain Research and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory as well as symposia on topics linked to research hubs like Riken Brain Science Institute, Broad Institute and Salk Institute. Workshops on techniques reference methods popularised in publications from Nature Neuroscience, Neuron, Journal of Neuroscience, Science and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The society grants awards recognising early-career investigators, senior researchers and lifetime achievement, paralleling prizes awarded by International Society for Neurochemistry, Society for Neuroscience and national academies such as Indian National Science Academy and Australian Academy of Science. Laureates often include scholars affiliated with Kyoto University, Peking University, Seoul National University, University of Melbourne, National Taiwan University and international collaborators from Columbia University and University College London. Award ceremonies are held at biennial congresses and regional meetings alongside recognitions by organisations like Royal Society and European Molecular Biology Organization.

The society promotes research networks addressing molecular neurochemistry, synaptic physiology and neurodegenerative disease with collaborative projects involving Alzheimer's Disease International, Parkinson's Foundation, Dementia Research Institute, Human Genome Organisation and consortia linked to BRAIN Initiative and Human Connectome Project. Educational outreach includes summer schools, online seminars and mentorship programs with partner institutions like University of Oxford, Yale University, Peking University Health Science Center, Indian Institute of Science and University of Sydney, often supported by grants from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, National Natural Science Foundation of China and Australian Research Council. Collaborative training leverages networks with Wellcome Trust programmes, Human Frontier Science Program fellowships and interregional exchanges involving Max Planck Society and EMBL.

Category:Neuroscience organizations Category:Scientific societies in Asia-Pacific