On August 5, 2011, Prof. Michael Goodfellow, the Chair of Bergey's Manual Trust, and Prof. LIU Zhiheng, from Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), visited the Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresources, CAS. They presented reports on “Actinobacteria from Hyper-arid Desert Soils: New Opportunities for Drug Discovery” and the “Utilization of Endophytic Bacteria in Plants”, respectively, for the researchers and students from Zhejiang University, Xinjiang University and Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, CAS.

Prof. Goodfellow introduced the newest research progress on actinobacteria in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. He encouraged that the researchers, to fully utilize advanced research methods and unique eco-environment of Xinjiang, explore the biological resources under the extreme environments. Prof. LIU, combined the characteristics of different regions, introduced the current research status of endophytic bacteria in plants and the research methods.

Prof. Goodfellow is an international scientist acknowledged for promoting actinobacterial biology and prokaryotic systematology. He works in the Microbial Resource Laboratory of Newcastle University. The laboratory focuses on developing and applying state-of-the-art procedures designed to advance the systematics, ecology and commercialization of actinobacteria. As the Chair of Bergey's Manual Trust, Prof. Goodfellow promotes cooperation between Britain and China in marine biotechnology, especially in pharmaceutical fields, and enhances people’s recognition about the actinobacterial diversity in natural and artificial environments.

Prof. LIU is a famous scientist in the field of actinobacterial systematics. Since 1978, he has also had outstanding achievements in microorganism diversity and resources exploration. With international cooperation, Prof. LIU has led the development and international influence of actinobacterial systematics in China, and trained a passel of outstanding talent.