Professor Shu-Ting Chang, Emeritus Professor of Biology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, was Chairman of the Department of Biology from 1983-1994; Dean of Faculty of Science from 1975-77; and Director of the Office of Student Affairs from 1979-81. He also served as Chairman of the Hong Kong Research Council in Biological Education from 1987-89; and was President of the Hong Kong Society of Microbiology (1982-84). Member of Executive Committee of International Society for Mushroom Science (1996-04); Professor Chang was the Vice-President of World Society for Mushroom Biology and Mushroom Products; and now the Director of Hong Kong Microbiological Resources Centre, sponsored by the United National Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). He is also the Director of the Centre for International Services to Mushroom Biotechnology under the aegis of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and Editor of the International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms.

Professor Solomon P. Wasser, Ph.D., Dr. Sci. (Biol.) is the Head of the International Center for Biotechnology and Biodiversity of Fungi, at the Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa (Israel); and the scientific adviser of the Department of Cryptogamic Plants and Fungi, at the N.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Professor Wasser is an author and co-author of 600 scientific publications, including 57 books and 15 patents. Professor Wasser is world lieder in medicinal mushrooms study and in fungal taxonomy and biodiversity, especially in higher Basidiomycetes mushrooms. He made pioneering research in anticancer (breast, prostate, CML, and ovarian cancers), antioxidant and radical scavenging activity of medicinal mushrooms, developed of new biotechnology of submerged cultivation of many medicinal mushroom species. Developed and patented new for world market dietary supplements with immunomodularing, cholesterol lowering, antidiabetic, antioxidant, and radical scavenging activities. Professor Wasser introduced 226 new scientific names for fungi including he described 42 species of higher Basidiomycetes species and intraspecific taxa new for science and 184 new for science nomenclature and taxonomic combinations. He is a founder and editor-in-chief of three international journals, International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms (USA), Algologia (Ukraine), and International Journal on Algae (USA). He is organizer together with Professor S-T. Chang and late Professor T. Mizuno of world international medicinal mushrooms conferences (first was held in 2001 in Kiev, Ukraine and the last 9th IMMC was in Sptember 2017, in Italy).

Li Yu, male, born in the city of Jinan, Shangdong province in 1944, a Han ethnic, a member of CPC, a Master of Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a Doctor of Agriculture of the Tsukuba University, Japan, an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, a Foreign Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a professor, a doctoral supervisor of the Jilin Agricultural University, a member of the fourth and fifth Discipline Appraisal Group of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council, the chief editor of Journal of Fungal Research, an editorial board member of Mycosystema (till 2009) and International Medicinal Mushroom, a National Young and Middle-aged Science and Technology (management) Expert with great contribution, a National Excellent Educator and Science and Technology Worker, a national famous teacher, a director of National Edible Fungus Industry Technology System Breeding Laboratory.

Zhibin Lin , Professor, doctoral supervisor. He has been Vice President of Basic Medical College of Beijing Medical University, Director of Institute of Basic Medical Sciences and Department of Pharmacology, Vice President of Beijing Medical University. He has successively been a visiting scholar at the University of Illinois in Chicago, an honorary professor at the Bilm Institute of Pharmacy in Russia, a visiting professor at the University of Hong Kong, a part-time professor at the Medical College of Nankai University and Ocean University of China. He has been the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Bee Therapy of the International Federation of Apiculture Workers, the Executive Committee of the International Pharmacological Federation (IUPHAR), the nominating committee member of the International Association of Ganoderma Lucidum Research from 2014 to 2018, the Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese Association of Science and Technology, the Chairman of the Chinese Pharmacological Association, the Honorary Chairman of the Chinese Pharmacological Association, and the State. Members of the Committee of Experts on New Drug Research and Development, the National Pharmacopoeia Committee and the National Drug Review Experts, etc. He has successively been chief editor of Journal of Beijing Medical University and vice-editor of four magazines such as Acta Pharmacologica Sinica, as well as chief editor or consultant chief editor of 10 magazines such as Journal of Pharmacy. He has been engaged in the research of the pharmacological action and mechanism of anti-inflammatory drugs, immunomodulatory drugs, endocrine drugs and anti-tumor drugs for a long time, and has participated in the research and development of many new drugs and health products. He is a famous scholar in Ganoderma lucidum researches at home and abroad.

1964年2月出生，江苏南通人，中共党员，高级经济师，中国著名企业家，被誉为“世界灵芝大王”。现任江苏安惠生物科技有限公司董事长、世界养生协会会长、世界通商总会会长、国际药用菌学会执行主席、国际蘑菇学会执委会委员、中国食用菌协会副会长、中国食品土畜进出口商会副会长、中国对外贸易经济合作企业协会副会长、国家食药用菌产业技术创新战略联盟理事长、江苏省食用菌协会会长。

Full Professor of Forest Botany and Mycology at the Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences of the University of Palermo. President of the Degree Course in Forestry and Environmental Sciences of the Agriculture Faculty of Palermo from July 1998 till January 1999. From 1 November 2012 until July 2015, coordinator of the degrees in Agro-engineering (I and II level), Forestry and Environnmental Sciences (I and II level) and, Environmental Redevelopment & Naturalistic Engineering at the Department of Agricultural and Forest Sciences of the University of Palermo. From 1991 to 2000, Editorial manager of the international journals Flora Mediterranea and Bocconea and Quaderni di Botanica Ambientale e Applicata. Since 1993 he has been scientific coordinator of research projects funded by the Italian Ministry of University. Scientific coordinator of a bilateral project Italy/Greece funded by the Italian Council of Researches. Member of several national and international academic institutions. Member of the List of Consultees for the preparation of Important Plant Areas Site Selection Manual of Planta Europa. Coordinator of the Working Group for Mycology of the Italian Botanical Society (2003-2005; 2009-2011; 2011-2013). Member of the Executive Committee of International Mycological Association (2003-2005). Coordinator of the Working Group of Mediterranean Mycology within the European Mycological Association. European Council Member of the International Society for Medicinal Mushrooms (ISMM). Member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms. Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the 9th International Medicinal Mushrooms Conference in Palermo (Italy) on September 24-28, 2017. Author of 254 scientific publication (139 on national and international scientific journals, 10 articles in scientific books, 11 monographs, 72 abstracts in international and national meetings, 19 as editor of books and/or scientific journals).

Ulrike Lindequist has studied pharmacy and received her Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Biology from the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University, Greifswald, Germany in 1977. She has got the licence to practise pharmacy. Since 1992, she was Professor and head of the Department for Pharmaceutical Biology at the named University. She was founding member of the Institute of Marine Biotechnology (IMaB) e.V., Greifswald, in 1996 and its chair between 1996 and 2000. Ulrike Lindequist was retired in 2016 but is still active as author, speaker and reviewer especially on the field of medicinal mushrooms. Her research is focused on biologically active compounds from mushrooms, plants and marine microorganisms. Further research topics are fungi and plants of ethnomedicine of different regions, chemical and biological analysis of fungal and herbal drugs, standardization and quality control of biogenic products and plasma medicine and pharmacy including investigation of the influence of physical plasma on mushroom cultures. She has published more than 250 scientific papers, several monographs and some patents. She is co-author of the books „Biogenic Drugs“ (E. Teuscher, M. Melzig, U. Lindequist „Biogene Arzneimittel“, 8. edition will be published in 2019) and „Biogenic Toxins“ (E. Teuscher, U. Lindequist „Biogene Gifte“, 3th edition 2010). She is member of the editorial board of some scientific journals and reviewer for research organisations and many journals and publishers.

EDUCATION: Universidad de Manizales – Manizales, Colombia, Master of Environmental and Development ,December 2013. National University of Colombia-Manizales, Colombia ,Bachelor in Chemical Engineering, September 1977. EXPERIENCE: Reishi Colombia S.A.S. Ganoderma lucidum cultivation. Manizales, 2012; Organicultivos y Setas S.A. Pleutorus cultivation. 2006 – 2012; Nieto & Milevcic, Mushroom Production Adviser. Bogota 2004-2006 ; CENICAFE - Centro Nacional de Investigaciones de Café. 1998-2003. HONORS: INNPULSA (Colombian government entrepreneurship program). Ambassador, 2018. Special Coffee American Association (SCAA). Award for developing the use of coffee residues use in mushroom cultivation. 2009. AGROPOLIS International Graduate Research Award in Urban Agriculture. Canada, 2004. International Labor Organization Seminar, Delegate. Cartagena, Colombia, 1992. PUBLICATIONS: 25 International publications in mushroom cultivation about: Agaricus bisporus, Pleurotus spp., Ganoderma lucidum, Lentinula edodes.

Professor Franc Pohleven is Ph.D. in biology and Professor Emeritus, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. His basic research area is physiology of mycorrhizal and saprophytic fungi. Other field of his occupation is development new environment friendly methods of mycoremediation of wooden artefacts as well as their protection. Recently, he studies cultivation of medicinal mushroom on different substrates and researches medicinal properties of their metabolites. He is a member of the International Research Group for Wood Protection (IRG/WP), Stockholm, the International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation Society (IBBS); founder and president of Slovenian Association for Mushroom Cultivation (DGGS) and of Slovenian Association for Wood Preservation (SDZL). Dr. Professor Pohleven is a member of the editorial boards of international journals "International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation”. Professor Pohleven has organized in Ljubljana four international scientific conferences: Annual conference of The International Research Group on Wood Protection (IRGWP35, 2004), The fourth International Medicinal Mushroom Conference (IMMC4, 2007), The 5th Forest-based Sector Technology Platform Conference (FTP5, 2008) and The Sixth European Conference on Wood Modification (ECWM6, 2012).

Full time Professor of Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Dept.Chemical, Biochemical and Ecology Engineering, University of Ljubljana. Full time Professor of Natural Science in Preservation of Art Monuments, Academy of Beautiful Arts, University of Ljubljana. 1989 - 2018 Establish and Managed European Federation on Biotechnology Bioreactor Engineering Course, doctoral/post doctoral engineering course, Principal World Post Doctoral Course ( 14 EU Universities + 4 main EU Bioindustry Partners). 2002 Vice-Chairman of International Organization on Biotechnology and Bioengineering ( World Association, 15.700 members)； 2005 Chairman of European Society on Biochemical Engineering Sciences (5.500 members)； 2005 Member of The Executive Board of European Federation on Biotechnology (10.000 members)； Co Editor of World Encyclopediae on Living Support Systems EOLLS (Volume Biotechnology); Books : 11 text books on Bioprocess Engineering; 40 Invited lectures on 27 Universities in 22 Countries and 155 International Congresses; Expert Referee : EC Framework, Bruxelles European Union. Member : New York Academy of Sciences, International Organisation on Biotechnology and Bioengineering, European Association for Promotion of Science and Technology. Main Research Activities : 1994 – 2015 Heading Research of 5 Faculty Teams on Medicinal Mushroom Immunoactivity Compounds and Bilateral Cooperation with Mean Chinese Institutions in Bejing and Shanghai. Scientific bibliography : contents 564 various contributions from the field of biotechnology and bioreactor engineering. Scientific work was awarded: 1976 Krka Award; 1984 National B. Kidric Awards for research; 1988 National B. Kidric Awards for and inovations; 2012 International Award for Innovations. E-mail: marin.berovic@fkkt.uni-lj.si; website: www.marin – berovic.si

School of Pharmacy, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, EDUCATION/TRAINING: 1977 BS Tokyo College of Pharmacy; 1982 Ph.D Graduate School of the Tokyo College of Pharmacy, Department of Microbioolgy. Positions: 1982-86: Research assistant, Tokyo College of Pharmacy, Dept. Microbiology; 1986-91: Assistant Professor, Tokyo College of Pharmacy, Dept. Microbiology; 1991-01: Associate Professor, Tokyo College of Pharmacy, Dept. Microbiology (Name changed to Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences); 2001-present: Professor, School of Pharmacy, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Science. (Part-time employment) 1987-88: Visiting scientist, University of Kansas Medical Center, Department of Microbiology, DC. Morrison’s Lab. 1997-98: Lecturer JICA’s Teanjin drug development program. 2008-09: Visiting Professor of School of Medicine, Yokohama City University. Positions in Academic Societies: Director of the Japanese society of Medical Mycology, Director of the Japanese Biodefense society, Editor of Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms. Recent Publications: 1) β-Glucan-induced cooperative oligomerization of Dectin-1 C-type lectin-like domain. Glycobiology. 2018; 2) Modulation of an innate immune response by soluble yeast β-glucan prepared by a heat degradation method. Int J Biol Macromol. 2017; 3) Enhanced Release of Immunostimulating β-1,3-Glucan by Autodigestion of the Lingzhi Medicinal Mushroom, Ganoderma lingzhi (Agaricomycetes). Int J Med Mushrooms. 2017; 4) Genetic Phagocyte NADPH Oxidase Deficiency Enhances Nonviable Candida albicans-Induced Inflammation in Mouse Lungs. Inflammation. 2017.

Georgios I. Zervakis was born in Athens, Greece. He is Professor in Agricultural Microbiology – Mycology at the Agricultural University of Athens (Laboratory of General and Agricultural Microbiology). His main current activities and research interests could be summarized as follows: ecology, diversity and molecular phylogeny of fungi with emphasis on basidiomycetes; mushroom breeding and cultivation, evaluation of nutritional/dietetic/medicinal properties of fungal biomass; bioconversion/detoxification of agro-industrial wastes and other environmental pollutants, degradation of ligninocellulosic residues through the use of selected microorganisms (e.g. white-rot fungi), etc. G.I. Zervakis has been the recipient of over 20 competitive research grants (through open calls, mainly funded by the European Commission or the Greek General Secretariat of Research and Technology) during the last 15 years, while he acted as evaluator for research proposals submitted to several Greek and international funding Agencies. He has also reviewed submitted manuscripts for more than 60 SCI journals, and is Editor in one of them (International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms) and member of the Editorial Board in other two. He authored/co-authored over 160 papers in international peer-reviewed scientific journals (74 in SCI journals; 2018), in proceedings of international congresses and as chapters in books. He is currently Vice-President of the Scientific Society “Mikrobiokosmos”, and Secretary of the OPTIMA (Organization for the Phytotaxonomic Investigation in the Mediterranean Area) Commission on Fungi.

Professor, Department of Nutritional Science, Fu-Jen Catholic University, Taiwan. Executive Director of Nutrition Society of Taiwan. Education： 1991-1996, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Department of Nutritional Sciences, Ph.D. Research Interest: Functional foods in prevention of metabolic syndrome; Parenteral and enteral nutrition for intestinal diseases and inflammation. Publications: more than 70 original articles. Selected publications in recent 5 years： 1. Hsu T-H, Lee C-H, Lin F-Y, Wasser SP, Lo HC.* The fruiting bodies, submerged culture biomass, and acidic polysaccharide glucuronoxylomannan of yellow brain mushroom Tremella mesenterica modulate the immunity of peripheral blood leukocytes and splenocytes in rats with impaired glucose tolerance. Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine. 2014; 4, 56-63./ 2. Chen JZ, Lo HC*, Lin FY, Chang SL, Hsieh C, Liang ZC, Ho WJ, Hsu TH. Effects of medium components and culture conditions on mycelial biomass and the production of bioactive ingredients in submerged culture of Xylaria nigripes (Ascomycetes), a Chinese medicinal fungus. Int J Med Mushrooms. 2014;16:431-47./ 3. Chen CH, Kang L, Lo HC, Hsu TH, Lin FY, Lin YS, Wang ZJ, Chen ST, Shen CL. Polysaccharides of Trametes versicolor improve bone properties in diabetic rats. J Agric Food Chem. 2015;63:9232-8./ 4. Chen YH, Lee CH, Hsu TH, Lo HC*. Submerged-culture mycelia and broth of the maitake medicinal mushroom Grifola Frondosa (higher basidiomycetes) alleviate type 2 diabetes-induced alterations in immunocytic function. Int J Med Mushrooms. 2015;17:541–56./ 5. Hsu PY, Lin YH, Yeh EL, Lo HC, Hsu TH, Su CC. Cordycepin and a preparation from Cordyceps militaris inhibit malignant transformation and proliferation by decreasing EGFR and IL-17RA signaling in a murine oral cancer model. Oncotarget. 2017;8:93712-93728./ 6. Teng JF, Lee CH, Hsu TH, Lo HC*. Potential activities and mechanisms of extracellular polysaccharopeptides from fermented Trametes versicolor on regulating glucose homeostasis in insulin-resistant HepG2 cells. PLoS One. 2018;13:e0201131.

Sheng-Hua Wu, Dept. of Biology, National Museum of Natural Science, Taichung, Taiwan 404. Email: shwu@mail.nmns.edu.tw; fax: +884-4-23258684; tel: +884-4-23226940 ext 503); Adjunt Professor, Dept. of Plant Pathology, National Chunghsing University, Taichung, Taiwan. Speciality: Taxonomy of wood-deacying Basidiomycota (fungi). He revised scientific binomials for the medicinal fungi: Lingzhi, Niuchangzhi and Sanghuang. Education: B.S., Dept. of Biology, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan, 1983; M.S., Dept. of Biology, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan, 1985; Ph.D., Dept. of Botany, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland, 1990. Appointments and Experiences: Associate Curator, Dept. of Collection and Research, National Museum of Natural Science, Taichung, Taiwan (1991-1997); Curator, Dept. of Biology, National Museum of Natural Science, Taichung, Taiwan, (1997-; 1997-2006, head of the department); President, Mycological Society of Republic of China (2008-2009). Honors and Awards: Member of the Phi-Tau-Phi Scholastic Honor Society, 1985. Editorial: Editor-in-Chief, Fungal Science, 1995-1999; Associate Editor, Mycoscience, 2002-2003; Editor, Collection and Research, 1997-2004, 2008-2011.

Professor Peter C.K. Cheung obtained his PhD from the University of New South Wales in Australia and is the current Associate Director of the Food and Nutritional Sciences Programme at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Professor Cheung’s primary research interest is on bioactive components in functional foods with a main focus on the structure and function of non-starch polysaccharides, especially mushroom polysaccharides. His most recent work is on the research and development of polysaccharides as novel prebiotics using omnics technology and animal models. He is the associate editor of Bioactive Carbohydrates and Dietary Fiber and editorial board members of the International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms and Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. He is the author or coauthor of over 120 SCI publications.

Professor Hikmet Hakan Aydin, M.D., FAACB. Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Biochemistry, Turkey. Hikmet Hakan Aydin is professor of Medical Biochemistry at the Ege University Faculty of Medicine where he studies on human conditions such as cancers, longevity and genetic inherited diseases. Aydin began his career with a medical doctor degree from Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey. He earned his specialist degree in 1996 from Ege University Faculty of Medicine in Medical Biochemistry. While on the faculty at Ege, Aydin has studied to identify potential biomarkers of wide-range of disease states. Addition to clinical researches he also conducted cell culture studies in drug response and metal toxicity. Since 2009, Aydin has focused his work on complex human diseases by using high throughput molecular techniques. Dr. Aydin is member of many professional associations including AACC, AACC Academy, AAAS, and British Biochemical Society. In addition, he served two terms as a member of board directors at Izmir Local Section of Turkish Biochemical Society, Dean of Faculty of Medicine at Ege University, CEO and president of Ege University Hospital and worked in organization of many national and international meetings, courses and symposiums. He is editorial board member for Clinical Biochemistry (Elsevier), International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms (Begell House) and Heliyon (Elsevier). He has also held positions in various professional committees including Turkish Ministry of Health National Cancer Advisory Committee and Turkish Ministry of Health Clinical Researches Advisory Committee.

Dr. John C. Holliday currently serving as the Chief Scientific Officer for Early Morning Farms, which is a company specializing in indoor vertical farming for vegetable and mushroom crops. He designed and is operating their indoor morel cultivation facility in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for the volume production of the morel species Morchella rufobrunnea. Dr. Holliday is the Senior Consultant for Mushroom Consulting, LLC, a company devoted to designing and building modern cold system, high yeilding mushroom farms incorporating aspects of both modern biotechnology with traditional agricultural practices. As one of the world’s leading experts in using modern biotechnology techniques for the cultivation of cellulose decomposing mushrooms, Dr. Holliday has designed more than one hundred cold system facilities for high production mushroom cultivation. Dr. Holliday’s cold system cultivation method combines aspects of 21st century biotechnology with traditional agricultural processes, resulting in a “Biological Manufacturing Process” where the cultivation facilities produces just one thing – for example a perfect one hundred fifty gram cluster of gourmet oyster mushrooms, and reproduces this one perfect product thousands of times per week. This is considered the highest yeilding mushroom cultivation system in the world today, with a typical yeild of 170% biological efficiency. This method also consistantly produces the highest quality and most consistant mushrooms of any cultivation system known. This cultivation system uses only cold chemical sterilization with no steam or heat sterilization, making this also the lowest capital investment required for the quantity of mushrooms grown. Dr. Holliday served as Chief Scientific Officer for Aloha Medicinals Inc. since Jan. 2001, responsible for establishing the strategic direction and research priorities for Aloha Medicinals Inc, cultivating over 250 species of medicinal fungi. He also served as the Managing Director of the AMI Culture Bank, a unique collection of over 11,000 cultures of medicinally and industrially important fungal strains. Dr. Holliday is on the Editorial board for the “International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms”, and is a peer-reviewer for a number of scientific journals on Cordyceps s.l. and other medicinal fungi. He is the only Non-African ever to be elected to the Executive Committee of the African Society of Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms (ASEMM). He is also Vice President of the International Society for Medicinal Mushrooms (ISMM). Dr. Holliday holds two patents on the cultivation of Ophiocordyceps sinensis.

Dr Miomir Nisic is Professor of Food , Industrial Microbiology and Mushroom Science, Chief of the Department of Food and Industrial Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade. He has over 35 years of teaching experience working with undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students with microbial control of food, mushrooms science and applied mycology and over 30 years of professional experience in solving technological troubleshooting trace back problems in food and pharmaceutical companies. He is researcher (more than 250 papers) and developer of new mushroom products (nutraceuticals) for food and pharmaceutical industry and consultant in cultivation of medicinal and industrial mushrooms. He is also doing training and evaluation of specialist in food microbiology, food hygiene, food safety and hygienic engineering & design. He is senior international consultant of UN World Bank and IFC in Food Safety, in policy development, in drafting legislation as well in supporting institutional reforms.

Prof. Dr. Zhang Jingsong is an expert in special allowance of the State Council of China, a leading talent in Shanghai. Now he is the vice director of the National Engineering Technology Research Center for Edible Fungi and the director of Institute of Edible Fungi Research of Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences. He also holds the posts of the Executive Committee of the International Society of Medical Fungi, the Vice-Chairman of the Chinese Society of Mycology, and the Standing member of the Chinese Edible Fungi Association. He was employed as a doctoral supervisor of Jiangnan University, and Master Instructor of 6 universities. Mainly engaged in the research and development of health functional components in edible fungi, he has chaired and participated in more than 60 national, ministerial and municipal projects. His research focused on medicinal mushrooms, especially Ganoderma lucidum. He has carried out a comprehensive and systematic study on the germplasm resources and medicinal value of Ganoderma lucidum, established the first database of Germplasm resource of Chinese Ganoderma lucidum cultivation in the world. The database and related research have effectively solved the key problems that restrict the development of Ganoderma lucidum industry, such as chaos of Ganoderma lucidum varieties and difficulty in controlling the quality of fruiting body products. He have published more than 290 papers (including 41 SCI papers), Edited 3 books, established 3 national or ministerial standards, been authorized 21 invention patents , 3 health products certificates, and 5 new edible fungi varieties, been awarded 5 ministerial and provincial awards of science and technology.

Dr. Baoxue Yang obtained his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Norman Bethune University of Medical Sciences. After three years of postdoc training in Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California in San Francisco (UCSF), he started his own research programs as assistant researcher of molecular biology in the same institute in 1997. He worked as assistant professor in Department of Medicine, UCSF from 2003 to 2009. Dr. Yang has been serving as professor in Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China since 2009. Now he works as vice dean of School of Basic Medical Sciences and chair of Department of Pharmacology, Peking University. He has published 118 papers in prestigious journals such as PNAS, JASN, JBC and holds 7 patents. Dr. Yang’s research focuses on the effect of Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi) on health and diseases and their mechanism of action with the aim of developing novel drugs. He found protective effect of Ganoderma triterpenes and Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide peptide on kidney and liver injuries, which might be developed as new drugs to prevent and treat renal and hepatic diseases.

Dr Angela Amazonas, senior researcher of Embrapa Forestry - Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation / National Forestry Research Centre, Colombo, Paraná, Brazil. Biomedical Scientist, MSc Agricultural Microbiology and PhD Biochemistry, she worked at Embrapa for 33 years with a strong role in the planning of research laboratories and many projects. From 1995 to 2008, she was responsible for the Laboratory of Microbiology of Embrapa Forestry and leader of a research group on macrofungi in partnernship with five local universities. In September 1997, as president of the ‘South-American Workshop on Alternative Uses of Forest and Urban Waste’, she had the unique oportunity to organize a course on ‘Biodiversity and Biotecnology of Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms’ ministered by Prof. Shu-Ting Chang in his first visit to South America. In 1999, she awarded a Visitor UNESCO/MIRCEN Short-term Fellowship at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where she could follow and discuss projects on bioconversion technology with emphasis on mushroom biology. She received the Award for Excellency from Embrapa Forestry in 2003. In October 2007, she was a research visitor at the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic working on cryopreservation of Basidiomycetes. She is editorial supervisor and translator to Portuguese of the book ‘Notable Macrofungi from Brazil’s Paraná Pine Forests’, by André de Meijer, 2008. Her main legacy is the culture collection of macrofungi that she left at Embrapa Forestry. Despite her retirement in 2008, she goes on participating activily in national and international mushroom scientific meetings with the main purpose of making bridges for the development of the Brazilian fungiculture. With this in mind, she had an special play in the inclusion of the Brazilian National Association of Mushroom Growers (Associação Nacional dos Produtores de Cogumelos, ANPC) as a member of the International Society for Mushroom Science (ISMS) in 2013.

• Research Professor at Hubert Kairuki Memorial University (HKMU), Tanzania. Born at Mamba, Same, Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania. Earned his Ph.D. in botanical sciences at the University of Hawaii in 1974. He is a Fellow of the World Technology Network (WTN), the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), the African Academy of Sciences (AAS), and the Tanzania Academy of Sciences (TAAS). He previously served as Vice Chancellor of HKMU, Tanzania; Pro-Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Research, University of Namibia; Director of Postgraduate Studies and Professor of Botany at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzaania; Director of a UNDP Project on Sustainable Development from Africa’s Biodiversity; Vice President of TWAS; Chairman of the Board, Tanzania Atomic Energy Commission (TAEC); Member of the Board, Tanzania Higher Education Students’ Loans Board; Secretary General, TAAS; Member of the Council of UNAM; and is currently also a member of the Council of the Pan African University of the African Union. • Professor Mshigeni has served Tanzania, Africa, and the global community in various capacities. He had previously served as Editor-in-Chief of Discovery and Innovation (a joint journal of TWAS and AAS); UNESCO/United Nations University (UNU) Africa Chair for promoting UNU’s Zero Emissions Research Initiative (ZERI) in Africa; and has also served as a member of the Governing Council of TWAS; of AAS, and of TAAS. Additionally he has served as a member of the Council of the University of Arusha (UoA),Tanzania; a member of the Senate of Ardhi University (ARU), Tanzania; and also a member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Phycology and Phycochemistry, and the International Journal of Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms. • Prof. Mshigeni is author of over 150 scholarly publications (as articles in journals and periodicals, as chapters in books, in conference Proceedings, or as books and booklets), in botanical sciences and higher education, covering vascular medicinal plants, seaweeds, mushrooms, and sustainable development. He has won many honours, prizes, and awards.

V.K.Varshney (Email: vinay.varshney5@gmail.com) is a Scientist-G at Chemistry & Biopropecting Division, Forest Research Institute, Indian Council of Forestry Research & Education (ICFRE), Dehradun (Uttarakhand), India (http://fri.icfre.gov.in/ ). He received his Ph.D. (Chemistry) in 1991 from Agra University, Agra, India. Subsequently in 1992 he joined the ICFRE as Scientist-B. He is a forest product chemist and trained in various national and overseas laboratories. His research interests include upgrading the value chain of (i) non wood forest products including medicinal plants, aromatic plants, edible and medicinal mushrooms, and (ii) biomass residues generated from plantations, and wood and agro based industries through their chemical examination and value addition. Published 65 research papers and supervised 12 Ph.D. students. He serves as an Honorary Editor of the ‘Journal of Biologically Active Products from Nature’ co-published with Taylor & Francis (http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tbap20/current). He is also a member of the Editorial Board of the ‘International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms’ (http://www.begellhouse.com/journals/medicinal-mushrooms.html) published by Begell House, USA.

Ruoyun Chen is a professor of the Natural Medicine Research Laboratory of the Institute of Materia Media, Chinese Academey of Medical Science &Peking Union Medical College. She graduated from Peking University in 1978 and has been engaged in natural product chemistry research in the Institute of Materia Media since graduation. In 1999, she worked as a visiting scholar in the Department of Biochemistry of the Chinese University of Hong Kong for one year. In recent years, she has undertaken the research of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Ninth Five-Year Plan Project of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the 973 Subproject of the National Major Basic Research Project, the Beijing Natural Science Foundation and the Foundation of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Over the years, she has been engaged in the research on the chemical basis of commonly used Chinese medicines and the standardization of quality standards of Chinese medicines. She has studied the chemical constituents of more than twenty kinds of Chinese medicines in depth successively. She has completed the quality standard research of Ganoderma lucidum and some Chinese medicines, and clarified the material basis and effective. Prof. Chen actively engaged in the development of new drugs such as the drug for diabetes, which has been patented and transferred. The main responsibility of the research is to complete the process, chemical, pharmacological drug supply and quality control standard separation and identification. The main research objects are natural products with biological activity. The main research directions are: (1) Search and discovery of active natural products for cancer and senile diseases. (2) Structural modification and structure-activity relationship of active natural products. (3) Study on the quality standard of traditional Chinese medicine.

Born July 7, 1954 in Leningrad (St Petersburg), Russia. Citizen of Russia. Graduated from Leningrad State University, Biology and soil Department in 1976, specialization – plant physiology and biochemistry. Affiliation: the Laboratory of Fungal Biochemistry, Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences Position: The Head of the Laboratory (since 2008), Ph.D (since 1988, specialization - mycology, physiology of fungi). The Head Curator of the Komarov Botanical Institute Basidiomycetes Culture Coillection (since 1994). Research interest: Investigation of morphology, physiology and biochemistry of Basidiomycetes cultures from different taxonomical and ecological groups for scientific and practical purposes with emphasizing on medicinal mushrooms. Study of biological activity of mushrooms, mainly proteolytic and oxidative enzymes, antifungal and antivirus activities. Isolation and cultivation of basidiomycetes strains. Conservation of macromycetes ex situ. Culture collection management. Microbial resources information management and utilization. Experience in isolation of basidiomycetes cultures during field works in various regions of Russia, USA, Finland and Viet-Nam, mating study, fruiting of basidiomycetes in culture, maintaining of fungal cultures in culture collection, management of the culture collection database. Scientific adviser of university students. Participation in research projects Institutional research projects: 2012-2018 «Macromycetes of Russia ex situ: structural and functional characteristics, autecological aspects and gene pool conservation in the BIN RAN basidiomycetes culture collection»; principal investigator. National and international grants: Grants of Russian Foundation of Fundamental Research, Principal investigator nn 93-04-20674, 97-04-49621, 99-04-49825, 03-04-49604, 06-04-49043, 11-04-01704, 15-04-06211. Programs of Russian Academy of Sciences, 2000-2018 Grant of Hesler Endowment Fund (The University of Tennessee, USA), 1996-1997; INTAS grant No 03-51-5889 (2003-2006). Grant for participation in the WDCM Training Course on Management and Application of Microbial Data Resource, China, Beijing, 2016. Author of over 120 scientific publications.

Prof. Omon. S. Isikhuemhen, popularly called Dr. Omon, got his PhD/CSc from the Institute of Microbiology, Prague, Czech Republic in 1999. He received two post-doctoral training in Japan and USA. Since 2002 until date, he is a faculty at the North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA. During this period, he has also held Adjunct Professor positions at Duke University, Durham USA, Alabama A&M University, Birmingham, USA, etc. He is the pioneer researcher and scholar who introduced exotic mushroom production to North Carolina, which grew beyond $10 Million industry within ten years of initiation in 2002. He has conducted research in mushroom breeding, production technologies, germplasm conservation, solid state fermentation with white rot fungi and their use in bioconversion of biomass to bio-products of commerce. His recent research is focused on the application of medicinal mushrooms in animal health improvement. He has developed products out of mushrooms, which are useful as antibiotic replacement, as well as growth and health enhancers in farm animals. He has worked extensively on medicinal mushroom use in chicken health, sheep and just he completed an extensive research on pigs, while a visiting professor at Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana, USA. He has also worked extensively on truffle domestication and cultivation in North Carolina. He has broken two world records in truffle production. Today farmers using his technology are producing Bianchetto truffle and selling at $500/lb in North Carolina. The company Mycorrhiza Biotech LLC was founded on his R&D on truffle farming. He has published over 100 scientific communications in the form of Peer Reviewed Articles, Conference Abstracts, Proceedings and Book Chapters. He serves on the editorial board of the many international journals, notable among them is the International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms, and he is the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Waste Conversion, Biotechnology and Bio-products. He is one of the founding members of the International Society of Medicinal Mushrooms (ISMM). He is a founding member and president of the African Society for Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms. His volunteer service at introducing low-cost technology approaches to mushroom production in developing countries earned him the US President’s Volunteer Service Award (USA Freedom Corpse: Council on Service & Civic Participation) in 2008.

Ping Zhu, Professor, doctoral supervisor, director of biosynthetic Laboratory of Institute of Materia Media, Key Laboratory of Natural Medicine Biosynthesis of National Health and Family Planning Commission, deputy director of National Key Laboratory of Natural Pharmaceutical Active Substances and Functions, deputy director of Mycological Society of China, chairman of Professional Committee of Pharmaceutical Fungi of China Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine, director of Beijing Botanical Society. He is the Editor of several journals such as Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica, Mycosystema, Chinese Medicinal Biotechnology and Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. In 1988, Prof. Zhu graduated from Peking Union Medical University of China majoring in microbial pharmacology. Since then, he have worked in the Institute of Materia Media. From 1991 to 1993, with Postdoctoral fellowship, he studied fungal biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Nottingham, UK. From April to November 2004, as a visiting professor, he was engaged in sponge-related microorganism research at the University of Hawaii. Research fields: Microbial engineering and synthetic biology of natural medicines. At present, the main research works are as follows: 1. Biosynthesis and synthetic biology of natural medicines; 2. Gene mining, characterization of enzymes and their relationship with structure and function; 3. Study on active metabolites of endophytic bacteria and medicinal mushroom in animals and plants.

Dr Yijian Yao, BSc, MAgr, PhD (London), Professor of Mycology, awardee of National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars by National Natural Science Foundation of China. He currently serves as Director of Fungarum, Chinese Academy of Sciences (HMAS). He is also an Honorary Research Associate of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Deputy Director of the Working Group for Agricultural and Forest Biodiversity of the Chinese National Committee for Diversitas; Member of the IAPT Nomenclature Committee for Fungi and of the Biodiversity Committee, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Fungal Research, Life World and Wuyi Science Journal; Editor of Mycosystema, Plant.

Borut Štrukelj was born in Ljubljana, in 1961. He is a full professor at the Department for Pharmaceutical Biology at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Ljubljana where leads the group for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology. At the Jozef Stefan Institute, he is a member of the biotechnology group. By using post-doc EMBO award, he worked at the CPRO-DLO, PRI Institute for plant molecular biology in Wageningen, Netherlands. Prof. Štrukelj published a great number of over 180 scientific and professional articles, among them over 140 in the important international scientific journals. He is a member of many Slovene and international pharmaceutical and biomedicinal associations. In year 1991 he was awarded for his scientific contribution in the field of molecular biology by Kidirič award. In year 2007 he got a national award for his excellent scientific contribution (Zois award) and in year 2015 the most prominenent Zois top award. From year 1996 till 2012 he was appointed as an expert in European Pharmacopoea in a Group for biological pharmaceuticals as well as at the European Agency for Medicines in London (EMEA). In year 2010 he received the Fulbright Award for visiting professorship at the Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, USA. His research is focuse on biological medicines, recombinant probiotics, phage display technology and plant secondary metabolites.

Prof. Dr. Vikineswary started her academic career after completing her PhD in the Institute of Postgraduate Studies in 1989 as a lecturer. She ventured into search, discovery and utilisation of indigenous microorganisms including actinomycetes and phototrophic bacteria for feed, feed or fine chemicals. Her research activities diversified and while studying the potential of mushrooms and in particular the white - rot fungi in environmental biotechnology, she had the opportunity to work with mushroom farmers. Together with the growers, the Mushroom Research Association of Malaysia was founded in 2000 and as the founding president she has highlighted the importance of mushrooms and the industry in Malaysia. She is well known for the research conducted which includes systematic and bioactivity of marine actinomycetes, mushroom biology and their bioactive metabolites, phototrophic bacteria for bioremediation and as a live feed enhancer. She has successfully trained 52 Masters and 20 PhD students and a number are currently pursuing their postgraduate studies under her supervision. Her research activities are sponsored by national and international grants including industrial funding. She has won several awards for her research findings both in Malaysia and at International Exhibition. She had collaboration with overseas scientists through CICHE, JSPS and EU programmes. She has published 265 papers in peer reviewed journals, proceedings, bulletins, chapters in books and books. In recognition of her contribution in microbiology and active participation as member of the Malaysian Society for Microbiology she was elected as the first woman President of the Society in 2001. In 2011 she was awarded the prestigious Malaysian Society for Microbiology Award. In 2014 she was nominated as one of the Top Research Scientist Malaysia by Academy Science Malaysia and in 2015 she was nominated as a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia.

Prof. (Dr.) Raj D. Rai, former Chairman, division of biochemistry, Indian Agricultural Research Institute. With 25 years of research on the medicinal mushrooms, almost exclusively on Ganoderma Lucidum, He is popularly called “Ganoderma man of India”. He worked as Principal Scientist (Biochemistry), and Principal investigator, Medicinal Mushrooms (1984-2009) in the apex federal research institute on mushrooms, the National Research Centre on Mushrooms (NRCM), Solan, India; he researched upon the molecular identification, cultivation technology, extraction procedures and pharmacological evaluation of Ganoderma Lucidum (Gl). He was the first Indian to develop commercially profitable organic cultivation technology of this mushroom. Besides developing the extraction procedure of pharmacologically active substances, his other areas of interest were anti-cancer properties of Gl. He left NRCM to occupy the prestigious position of the Chairman, Division of Biochemistry, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) New Delhi, the flagship of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research(ICAR) and finally as coordinator, The School of Basic Sciences – Biochemistry, Physiology, Microbiology and Environmental Sciences. Though the mandate of his teaching and research changed – terminal heat tolerance of what in global climate change – but he brought with him the Ganoderma project and continued his work on it. In NRCM, he organized the International Conference of Biology and Biotechnology of Mushrooms in 2008. He has guided M.Sc. and Ph.D. students in Biochemistry, written/edited 4 books on mushrooms, and published more than 150 research papers. He was Chief Editor of the Mushroom Research – the international journal of mushroom research and development, for 12 years.

Prof. Andrei Goncharov, Federal Scientific Center of the East Asia Terrestrial Biodiversity, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (FSCEATB FEB RAS). Education: Dr. Sci. (Habilitation) in 2005 (Botany/Genetics), Institute of Biology and Soil Science Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IBSS FEB RAS); Ph. D.1996 (Botany), IBSS FEB RAS. Employment history: 2019 – Present time, FSCEATB FEB RAS, Principal Investigator; 2017 – 2018, FSCEATB FEB RAS, Acting Director; 2012 – 2016, IBSS FEB RAS, Vice-Director of Scientific Affairs/Principal Investigator; 2008 – 2011, IBSS FEB RAS, Leading Research Scientist; 2006 – 2008, Botanisches Institut, Universität zu Köln (Germany), research fellow; 2005 – 2006, IBSS FEB RAS, Vice-Director of Scientific Affairs; 2003– 2005, IBSS FEB RAS, Laboratory of Cryptogamic Plants, Leading Research Scientist; 2000 – 2003, Botanisches Institut, Universität zu Köln (Germany), research fellow; 1999 – 2000, IBSS FEB RAS, Laboratory of Cryptogamic Plants, Senior Research Scientist; 1997 – 1999, National Institute for Environmental Studies (Japan), Microbial Culture Collection, research fellow; 1997 – 1997, IBSS FEB RAS, Laboratory of Cryptogamic Plants, Research Scientist; 1996 – 1997, Ibaraki University (Japan), Faculty of Education, research student; 1991 – 1995, IBSS FEB RAS, Laboratory of Cryptogamic Plants, Junior Research Scientist. Research interests: Cryptogamic and vascular plants phylogeny, taxonomy and biogeography. Honours and Awards: 2003 – Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (Germany), Return Fellowship; 2000, 2001 - Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (Germany), Research Fellowship; 1997 – Science and Technology Agency of Japan, Research Fellowship; 1996 – Japanese Ministry of Education, Scholarship for research and study in Japan.

Professor Ruey-Shyang Hseu, department of Biochemical Science and Technology, College of Life Science, National Taiwan University. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei, Taiwan. E-mail: rshseu@ ntu.edu.tw EDUCATION: Ph.D.: Institute of Agricultural Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. (June,1990) Dissertation: An Identification System for Cultures of Ganoderma Species( Advisor: Dr. His-Hua Wang); M.S.: Institute of Agricultural Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. (June,1984); B.S.: Department of Agricultural Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. (June, 1981). EXPERIENCE: 08/2003-Now, Professor, Department of Biochemical Science and Technology, Institute of Microbiology and Biochemistry, College of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. 08/1998-07/2003, Professor, Department of Agricultural Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. 08/1990-07/1998, Associat Professor, Department of Agricultural Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. 08/1986-07/1990, Lecture, Department of Agricultural Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. 08/1981-07/1986, Teaching Assistant, Department of Agricultural Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. RESEARCH INTERESTS: Molecular Systematics of the medicinal mushrooms, anaerobic aungi from Taiwan ruminants, eucaryotic expression system.

Professor Xiaobo Sun, borned in 1958, from Yanbian, Jilin. Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resources Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, China. He got his bachelor's degree in medicine from the department of Pharmacy, Yanbian University in 1982, and got the doctorate in agronomy from Jilin Agricultural University in 2004. Prof. Sun mainly engaged in the research of the pharmacodynamic material basis and molecular mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine and compound prescription. He made great achievements in development of innovative drugs of traditional Chinese medicine and secondary development of large varieties, especially in the innovation and industrialization of large varieties of traditional Chinese medicine industry chain with Panax Notoginseng as the carrier by integrating multi-disciplines. He promoted the development and key technologies industrial application of new drugs and the use of non-medicinal parts of panax notoginseng after the original developed drugs come into the market. At present, the new industrial format has formed by large development and industrialization application with many enterprises. Prof. Sun has directed or participated in more than 20 special projects such as The National High Technology Research and Development Program of China, The National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Science and Technology Major Projects for "Major New Drugs Innovation and Development", National Natural Science Foundation of China, projects of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He has been awarded more than 10 national or provincial science and technology awards. He has published more than 300 papers (including more than 90 SCI papers) and is the editor-in-Chief or Co-editor of 10 publications, authorized 10 invention patents. Prof. Sun has directed or participated in more than 30 research of new drugs, which create the output value of nearly 1 billion Yuan.

Dr Ivan Jakopovich was born in Croatia (in former Yugoslavia) in 1949. He started studying mushrooms since 1979, their healing properties since 1981, and practical use of medicinal mushrooms since 1989. With his wife Marija he founded Dr Myko San – Health from mushrooms company in 1990, which is the first European manufacturer specializing in production of medicinal mushroom products. During almost 30 years of working in the field, Dr Jakopovich and his wife Marija have developed 15 medicinal mushroom preparations against cancer and viral infections (including hepatitis, AIDS, herpes and flu). Other preparations improve cardiovascular health by helping regulate blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar. Another preparation helps retard and alleviate neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson, Alzheimer, multiple sclerosis and various dementias. The most recent preparation, OsteoMykon, is the first medicinal mushroom product globally intended for bone and cartilage protection and alleviating osteoporosis and joint disorders.Two tableted products AGARIKON.1 and MYKOPROTECT.1 have been registered as dietary supplements in 2010, so that Dr Myko San company is the first European manufacturer to successfully register medicinal mushroom products in a European country. Dr Jakopovich initiated and participated in 7 scientific research projects on medicinal properties of mushrooms of which 5 have studied the antitumor properties and 2 the effects of mushrooms on bone remodeling. Dr Myko San was the first European company which had the honor to host and organize the 6th International Medicinal Mushroom Conference held in Zagreb (Croatia) in 2011 and Dr Jakopovich has served as a president of the Organizing Committee. Dr. Ivan Jakopovich is a member of the International Society for Mushroom Science (ISMS), International Society for Medicinal Mushrooms (ISMM) and the New York Academy of Sciences. He was a member of the International Scientific Committee of IMMC7, IMMC8, IMMC9 and IMMC10 and a member of the editorial board of the International Journal for Medicinal Mushrooms (2011-2014).

Dr. Jeng-Leun Mau is currently a life-time distinguished professor in the Department of Food and Applied Biotechnology, Chung hsing University, Taiwan. In May 1992, he received his Ph.D. in Food Science Department of Pennsylvania State University. He remained as a postdoctoral researcher. In February 1993, he was appointed as an associate professor at Chung hsing University, and promoted as a professor in 1999. He was appointed distinguished professor in 2007, in 2014 was hired as a honorary distinguished professor of change as lifelong distinguished professor in 2017. Dr. Mao specializes in food inspection and analysis, mushroom cultivation, fungal biotechnology, agricultural biological resources utilization and chemistry. Part-time positions include: Technical Specialist of Agricultural Products Testing and Verification Center, Chung hsing University, Taiwan. Supervisor and Assessor of Technical Qualification of Food Inspection and Analysis Technicians (Grades B and C) of Taiwan Ministry of Labor. Research Councilor of the Professional Subjects of the Curriculum Outline of Vocational Schools of the Ministry of Education of Taiwan. Achievements and Honours: Outstanding Research Award of Taiwan National Science Association (now Ministry of Science and Technology) in 2011. "The Light of Chung hsing University " in Taiwan in 2010. 2007, 2008 and 2009 Research Achievement Awards of Chung hsing University in Taiwan. Teacher Assessment (Teaching, Research and Service) of the College of Agricultural Sciences, Chung hsing University, Taiwan, 2005-2007: First Awards in Teaching and Research (2008/8). Achievement Counselor Award of Business Development Group of the Business Center of Industry, Learning, Intelligence and Finance, Chung hsing University, Taiwan, 2009. 2005 Teaching Service Promotion Award of Agricultural College of Chung hsing University, Taiwan Award for Excellent Teachers in 2003 Academic Year of Chung hsing University in Taiwan

Dr. Mikheil D. Asatiani was born in Georgia in 1980. He got his PhD (Biotechnology) degree in 2009, in the Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Israel. Now, he is a scientist of Agricultural University of Georgia. OTHER EXPERIENCE: Post-Doctoral Fellow. University of Haifa, Israel, 2009-2010. Invited Researcher at the Latvian State Institute if Wood Chemistry, Riga, Latvia, 2011. Post-Doctoral Fellow. University of Haifa, Israel, 2012-2013. Post-Doctoral Fellow. Taichung state university, Taichung, Taiwan, 2013. Associate professor. Beijing Normal University – Hong Kong Baptist University, Zhuhai, Guangdong, China, 2014. Researcher. Ege University, Bornova, Izmir, Turkey, 2015. Researcher, University of Haifa, Israel, 2016. Major RESEARCH INTERESTS: Edible and medicinal mushroom production/ Investigation of medicinal mushroom dietary supplements/ Evaluation of medicinal and pharmaceutical properties of medicinal mushrooms/ Physiology, biochemistry and biotechnology of microorganisms/ Lignocellulose-deconstructing enzyme synthesis/ Bioconversion of lignocellulose in value-added products (enzymes, biofuel).

Professor Qiuhui Hu is the head of the School of Food Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Finance and Economics and also a Ph.D supervisor of food science and technology in Nanjing Agriculural University. He was granted with "New Century Excellent Talents in University Award" from Chinese Ministry of Education and was selected as the distinguished scientist of 333 high-level personnel training project at the second level. He is the member of a National Expert Committee on Agro-product Quality and Safety Risk and the executive director of China Agricultural Association branch of storage and processing of agro-products. He is the elected specialist in the national modern agricultural technology system. His research activities include the National Natural Science Foundation of China, "948 Program" from Ministry of China and special grant projects of national public service research in agriculture. Qiuhui Hu has published over 30 SCI refereed scientific publications in recent five years and has been authorized over 30 national patents. He is the editor of Food Science and Human wellness and his achievements in Food Science rank him within the top 1% highly cited researchers by Elsevier during 2014-2018.

Kuniyoshi Shimizu, Laboratory of Systematic Forest and Forest Products Sciences, Division of Sustainable Bioresources Science, Department of Agro-environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University; Ph. D, natural product chemist, graduated from Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University in 2000. Then, he worked in Venture Business Laboratory, Kyushu University as a postdoctoral fellow (2000-2002). In 2002, he returned to Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University as an assistant professor. Then, in 2014, he got prompt to an associated professor. His research group has been focusing on how to utilize natural products based on LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) concept with relevant scientific evidence. Research fields include as follows. 1) Natural Medicines, 2) Natural Cosmetics, 3) Natural functional foods, 4) Natural aroma, 5) Natural dwelling space. He has focused on the development of biologically natural products from plants (Olea europaea, Eriobotrya japonica, Artocarpus incisus, Criptomeria japonica) and mushrooms (Ganoderma lingzhi, Hericium erinaceum, Pleurotus eryngii etc.). He got The Japan Wood Research Society Progress Award in 2006 and The Japan Wood Research Society Award in 2014. Recent publication about Ganoderma lingzhi: Mass spectrometry-based untargeted metabolomics and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of Lingzhi (Ganoderma lingzhi) during developmental stages. S. Dedi, S. Tamrakar, H. Suhara, S. Kaneko, and K. Shimizu. (2019) Molecules 24, no. 11: 2044. Lucidumol D, a new lanostane-type triterpene from fruiting bodies of Reishi (Ganoderma lingzhi). S. Dedi, Y. Amen, Y. Niwa, A. Ashour, A. E. Allam, and K. Shimizu. (2019) Natural product research 33, no. 2: 189-195. Changes in triterpenoids and polysaccharides content in Ganoderma lingzhi at different growth stages. T. Nakagawa, Q. Zhu, S. Tamrakar, Y. Amen, Y. Mori, H. Suhara, S. Kaneko, H. Kawashima, K. Okuzono, Y. Inoue, K. Ohnuki, K. Shimizu (2018) Journal of Natural Medicines 72, 734-744.