China in Africa

The group of HUANG Junchao from CAS Kunming Institute of Botany succeeded to generate a mutant of Chlorella zofingiensis (CZ-bkt1) which accumulated zeaxanthin up to 7 mg/g when induced by high light irradiation and nitrogen deficiency, and 36 mg/L by additional feeding with glucose. In addition to zeaxanthin, CZ-bkt1 also accumulated high amounts of β-carotene (7 mg/g or 34 mg/L with glucose feeding) and lutein (14 mg/g or 34 mg/L). . CZ-bkt1 was found to express a dysfunctional carotenoid ketolase, leading to the accumulation of zeaxanthin rather than its downstream ketocarotenoid astaxanthin.

CAS news release, January 30, 2018

The objective is to create a full-time strategic consulting team devoted to the major strategic issues concerning agriculture, rural areas and farmers in China and the frontier scientific and technological issues in agriculture so as to provide scientific and technological innovation and policy support for the country’s development strategy, promoting agricultural science and technology into advanced ranks in the world, accelerating agricultural modernization and rejuvenating the countryside. The first directors of the institute will be Academician Jun ZHOU, Dean of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), HAN Jun, director of the Central Rural Work Office, and TANG Huajun, Dean of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

China Bio news release, January 29, 2018

In view of the expansion of China’s nuclear power plants, the Institute of Nuclear Energy Technology, Hefei Institute of Material Science, CAS, and the Chinese PLA Military Medical University (Third Military Medical University) radiation dose database built a Chinese human anatomical radiation model virtual person (“RadHuman”). The model can be applied in fields such as ITER and radiotherapy. In the future, Rad-Human will also play an important role in nuclear power development, aerospace and other fields.

China Bio news release, January 26, 2018

According to the International Graphene Product Certification Center (IGCC), 2,200 or 58 % of global patents on graphene came from China. The 2017 Global Graphene Industry Research Report” completed by China Graphene Industry Technology Innovation Strategic Alliances Industry Research Center indicates that by 2020 the global graphene application market will reach 100 billion yuan and China will dominate the global graphene market.”

China Bio news release, January 25, 2018

The CAS Institute of Neuroscience has successfully cloned two macaque apes from somatic cells. The group around SUN Qiang edited genes in vitro and accurately sifted and produced somatic cells with the same genotype. They removed the nucleus from an egg cell and replaced it with another nucleus from differentiated body cells. The reconstructed eggs produced embryos, which were put into the wombs of surrogate female monkeys, producing a group of cloned monkeys with the same genetic background. China plans to use this breakthrough to pioneer research in disease and brain science research by taking cloned macaques as animal models, e. g., for Alzheimer’ s, Parkinson’s disease and autism.

CAS news release, January 25, 2018

In 2017, policies have been promulgated such as medical insurance payment, consistency assessment and prioritization, and the opening up of innovative medicines which will affect the industry in a far-reaching manner with the aim of enhancing industry concentration. On January 19, SFDA issued the Guiding Opinions on Further Strengthening the Standards of Food and Drugs, which revised 3,050 national drug standards to speed up their upgrading and ensure the safety and effectiveness of drugs. This is another punch made by the SFDA to improve the quality of Chinese medicines. It is expected that in 2018 3,000 pharmaceutical companies will close down, and within 5 years the medical industry will be completely restructured.

China Bio news release, January 23, 2018

Through satellite-to-ground secure key distribution, a secret key was created between the two countries at locations some 7,600 km away from each other. During the experiment, scientists transmitted images between the two countries, and a 75-minute video conference was successfully held between Beijing and Vienna. Traditional public key cryptography risks being hacked, while quantum key technology, used in quantum communication, eliminates the possibility of wiretapping and secures the communication.

CAS news release, January 23, 2018

According to a survey by Suzhou’s HSMap publishing house, there are mainly 5 companies active in the field: 1. FivePlus Molecular Medicine Institute, Beijing, with a focus on R&D, production and technical services of viral vectors, virus vaccines, virus-like particles, recombinant proteins and cell products based on serum-free mammalian cell culture, 2.XiYuan Biotechnology, Shanghai, with a novel Cancer Targeting Gene-Viro-Therapy based on an oncolytic virus, and 3. Sibiono, Shenzhen, with a focus on adenovirus-based gene therapy in cancer,

China Bio news release, January 19, 2018

The group of ZENG Jie at Hefei’s University of Science and Technology of China (CAS) has come up with a novel catalyst based on CdS alloy nanorods which at a – 1.2 V overpotential can convert CO2 to carbon monoxide/hydrogen ratios freely adjustable between 4:1 and 1:4, at current densities of more than 25 mA/cm2. The catalyst remained stable after continuous operation of over 10 hrs.

CAS news release, January 19, 2018

Several companies in Hong Kong and Shenzhen had been found to smuggle foreign anti-cancer drugs into China and sell them on a black market. Due to the lack of cold-chain storage during smuggling, some of the drugs may have been inefficient or even dangerous to the patient. In one case, anti-cancer drugs were mixed with fructose and starch and sold as “anticancer capsules” for 2500 yuan per gram to patients, possibly also to hospital doctords and hospitals. These capsules were advertised on the company’s official website and probably sold throughout the country. In First Instance, a Shenzhen court found that the defendants violated national drug regulations, produced and sold counterfeit drugs under particularly serious circumstances. The defendents were sentenced from 10 to 13 years in prison and fined RMB 5 – 15 million. Some defendant appealed to the Higher People’s Court of Guangdong Province, and the case is still under trial.

China Bio news release, January 18, 2018

High-entropy alloys (HEAs), which are composed of random atomic-scale mixtures of elements from transition metals, have simple crystal structures, though the metals are arranged randomly on the lattice points, giving each alloy the properties of a both a glass and a crystalline material. Scientists from the CAS Institute of Physics and the Chemistry Department at Princeton University have found a HEA composed of tantalum (Ta), niobium (Nb), hafnium (Hf), zirconium (Zr), and titanium (Ti) which superconducts continuously from low to high pressures, making it a promising candidate for new applications of superconductors under extreme conditions.

CAS news release, January 18, 2018

The 2 kg satellite “ZHOU Enlai” was co-designed and built by 20 teenagers who had used their spare time to join the development and groundbase simulation performance of the satellite, and had learnt to assemble and practice voice data transfer and telecommunication applications. They participated in the launch by a CZ-11 solid fuel rocket.

China Bio news release, Januaery 18, 2018

According to the CAS Institute of Atmospheric Physics, the last five years have been the five warmest years in the oceans. The long-term warming trend driven by human activities continued unabatedly.  The increase in ocean heat content in 2017 occurred in most regions of the world and causes ocean volume expansion, sea level rise, declining oxygen content, bleaching of coral reefs, and melting of sea ice and ice shelves.

CAS news release, January 18, 2018

With a total investment of 30 million yuan and 14 research institutes comprising 30 research teams, the project will be implemented for two years, and through the implementation of this ‘seed program’, pre-research work will be done for the ‘China Microbiological Group Project’ . Head of this program is LIU Shuangjiang, director of the Institute of Microbiology, CAS., and topics are human metabolic diseases and the regulation of gut microbes by Chinese herbal medicines.

China Bio news release, January 16, 2018

According to an evaluation committee of the China Association of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology led by 11 Academicians, the following ten achievements are considered top among 2017 developments:
1. Approval of recombinant Ebola virus vaccine, produced in serum-free high-density culture,
2. Low-cost 3D generation gene sequencer based on single-molecule fluorescence developed and marketed
3. Automated white-eye image processing equipment coupled to AI for simple eyesight acquisition and non-invasive screening for diseases,
4. Guidelines for cell therapy products released, applications for clinical tests on CAR-T products
5. Genetic basis for the early onset of myopia in children discovered and gene-diagnostic system established
6. Domestic PD-2/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific monoclonal antibody for treatment of Hodgkin’s lymphoma successfully completed phase-III clinical trials and is listed for registration,
7. Early diagnosis and immunotherapy of hepatocellular carcinoma based on epigenetics and unicellular histology, by detecting the methylation level of specific sites of circulating tumor DNA in peripheral blood,
8. Gene therapy of liver diseases by plasmid-borne hepatocyte growth factor enters phase Ⅲ clinical trial
9. Nine-valent cervical cancer vaccine produced in E. coli is approved for clinical trials
10. The first domestic orthopedic robot was approved by CFDA and completed more than 1,300 sets of surgery. The positioning accuracy of this system is excellent. It can be used in general orthopedic surgery of spine, pelvis, acetabulum, and limbs.

China Bio news release, January 13, 2018