Wang Xiang, a PhD candidate under Prof. Huang Dejian, has won the Best PhD Student Oral Presentation at the 6th International Symposium on Phytochemicals in Medicine & Food, an international academic conference jointly organized by the International Association for Food Nutrition and Safety, Phytochemical Society of Europe and Phytochemical Society of Asia. Aiming to provide a platform for academics to exchange their latest research findings in bioactive compounds from food and their effect on human health, the conference had over 1000 experts from 70 countries in attendance.
Wang Xiang presented her project titled “Anti-inflammatory activity of dietary phytochemicals evaluated by a 3D cell culture model”, in which she established a 3D macrophage model for the screening of anti-inflammatory phytochemicals, which are plant-derived compounds that can potentially combat inflammation and oxidation-mediated diseases such as diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases. Her model mimics the microenvironment of real human tissue, giving it better performance than traditional 2D in vitro screening and a tenable alternative to animal screening models. Wang Xiang’s work increases the efficiency and accuracy of in vitro screening of anti-inflammatory compounds, which could expedite the discovery and characterisation of functional phytochemicals.