SJTU-TUM Bilateral Forum on Future Health and Transformative Medicine in the AI Era Held at GIFT
As part of the academic exchange activities celebrating Shanghai Jiao Tong University's 130th anniversary, the Shanghai Jiao Tong University-Technical University of Munich Bilateral Forum was held on the Minhang campus. One of its key parallel sessions, the “Future Health and Transformative Medicine in the AI Era” sub-forum, took place at the Global Institute of Future Technology on April 7, 2026. The event brought together scholars from both universities to deepen interdisciplinary collaboration in research and talent development.
The sub-forum was co-chaired by Prof. Weiliang Xia, Associate Dean of GIFT, and Prof. Zhaohui Lu, Deputy Director of the Office of International Affairs, SJTU School of Medicine. Attendees from SJTU also included GIFT faculty representatives Prof. Ruigang Yang, Prof. Runhui Liu, Prof. Minqiang Wang, and Prof. Ji Chen; Dr. Tianhui Zou, Associate Chief Physician at Renji Hospital Affiliated to SJTU School of Medicine; and Prof. Zhaoguo Wang, Associate Dean of the National Graduate College for Elite Engineers. Attendees from TUM included Prof. Dirk Busch, Prof. Markus Gerhard, Prof. Li Deng, Prof. Matthias Hebrok, Prof. Maximilian Reichert, and Prof. Daniel Roth.
Prof. Weiliang Xia presented an overview of GIFT
Prof. Zhaohui Lu presented an overview of School of Medicine, SJTU
Dr. Tianhui Zou - Berberine for the Prevention of Colorectal Adenoma Recurrence
Prof. Dr. Maximilian Reichert - Modeling Tumor Cell States and Ecosystem Interactions in Pancreatic Cancer
Prof. Dr. Med. Markus Gerhard - Chronic Infection, Inflammation and Carcinogenesis in the GI Tract
Prof. Dr. Matthias Hebrok - Modeling Pancreatic Cancer Initiation with Stem Cells
Prof. Runhui Liu - Protein Mimicking Polymers as the Next Generation Biomaterials
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Daniel Roth - Future Medicine with Machine Intelligence and Intelligent Machines
Prof. Ruigang Yang - Simulation for Embodied AI: Challenges and Opportunities
Prof. Minqiang Wang - Wearable Sweat Biosensors for Personalized Healthcare
Prof. Ji Chen - Translating Artificial Intelligence into Mental Health Research and Practice
Prof. Dr. Med. Dirk Busch - Engineering of T Cell Receptors for Future Medicines
Prof. Dr. Li Deng - Reprogramming the Microbiome: from Phages to Precision Medicine in the AI Era
Three keynote sessions were held, featuring a total of 11 scholars from both universities and covering topics on berberine for colorectal adenoma recurrence, modeling pancreatic cancer tumor states and ecosystem interactions, chronic infection and carcinogenesis in the GI tract, stem cell modeling of pancreatic cancer initiation, protein-mimicking polymers as next-generation biomaterials, future medicine with machine intelligence, simulation for embodied AI, wearable sweat biosensors, AI in mental health, T cell receptor engineering, and microbiome reprogramming from phages to precision medicine.
Following the keynote sessions, participants engaged in a collaboration discussion on talent cultivation and scientific research co-hosted by Prof. Zhaoguo Wang. Participants discussed structural gaps between university training and industry needs, and explored pathways such as improved curriculum design, internship evaluation standards, and balancing academic output with engineering competence.
On research collaboration, both sides reviewed funding resources and student exchange pathways, including CSC scholarships, DFG joint projects, foundation grants, university-level seed funds, “3+1+1” joint degree programs, summer schools, and postdoctoral exchanges. They agreed to establish long-term cooperation mechanisms through shared information platforms, regular meetings, and dedicated liaison roles.
The sub-forum laid a solid foundation for joint talent cultivation and collaborative research in health sciences and medical technology.
Previously, a TUM delegation led by Vice President Prof. Juliane Winkelmann visited GIFT in December 2025. During the current bilateral forum, the two sides signed a letter of intent for collaboration on April 8, marking the official establishment of a strategic partnership.
TUM Guest Speakers Profile
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Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Daniel Roth |
Prof. Dr. Med. Dirk Busch |
Prof. Dr. Med. Markus Gerhard |
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Director, Human-Centered Computing and Extended Reality Lab |
Director, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene |
Deputy Director, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene |
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daniel.roth@tum.de |
dirk.busch@tum.de |
markus.gerhard@tum.de |
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Prof. Dr. Maximilian Reichert |
Prof. Dr. Matthias Hebrok |
Prof. Dr. Li Deng |
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Founding Director, Center for Organoid Systems |
Chair, Applied Stem Cell and Organoid Systems |
Chair, Prevention of Microbial Diseases |
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maximilian.reichert@tum.de |
matthias.hebrok@tum.de |
li.deng@tum.de |
