China in Africa

The resource center aims at integrating biological resources. The Sample Library Catalog will provide information on and access to human, animal, plant and microbial resources throughout China. Thus, the Beijing Clinical Data and Sample Repository for Major Diseases, Suzhou City’s Jiangsu Provincial Disease Prevention and Control Center Specimen Bank, Fujian Provincial Tumor Hospital Biobank, Cixian Cancer Hospital Specimen Bank and dozens of other units have already been integrated. China National Gene Bank will also team up with GGBN, ISBER, BBMRI and other international sample library alliances. A website in Chinese is available under http://ebiobank.cngb.org/biobankMember/biobankMember.htm

China Bio news release, July 24, 2015

The CFM International-built plane has 150 seats and is designed for short-haul commercial use. An own engine for this plane is also under development and might be used from 2020.

CAS news release, July 24, 2015

Beijing Shougang LanzaTech New Energy Science & Technology Co, a joint venture of the Beijing Shougang Group and LanzaTech, has successfully reproduced production of 99,5 % ethanol from industrial waste gas at a 300 t scale. Next step will be a commercial plant project with 45.000 t fuel ethanol output.

China Bio news release, July 23, 2015

Director of the Center will bi Professor Guoqiang CHEN.

China Bio news release, July 22, 2015

The law contains strict regulations both for food production, food trade, e. g., by e-commerce, and state government responsibilities. Several violations such as food production using non-food materials, the use poisoned meat products, abuse and use of highly toxic pesticides etc. are directly included. Fines are on average 10fold increased and go up to 500,000 yuan. Production licenses can be withdrawn. The new law is the strictest food law ever passed in China.

China bio news release, July 22, 2015

The NDRC has formulated a 3-step policy in this field: 1) support growth of biomass power, 2) enhance agriculture and forestry waste collection, storage, transport, 3) establish financial support systems.

China Bio news release, July 22, 2015

According to a survey by the China Association for Science based on 4 parameters (highly cited scientists, fellows of the world’s leading technology associations, patented inventions from the 100 most innovative companies, and senior technical staff in Fortune 1,000 companies), the share of Chinese scientists is 15 %, and much higher in areas of basic research, e. g., in material research, as compared to applied fields. The concept of Bachelor in China – Dr. overseas” is the main mode of development for China’s high-end scientific and technological talents. 80 % of Chinese scientists completed undergraduate education in China, 69 percent did their doctorate abroad. Attracting and utilizing overseas Chinese high-end scientific and technological personnel will continue to be a major task for long-term development of S&T in China.”

China Bio news release, July 21, 2015

A team around Xinbo GAO at Xi’an University of Electronic Science and Technology made clear that different face images must be converted to the same expression space by AI to reach this level of accuracy. Synthesized photographs and photomontages can then be matched with data in the national ID database.

China Bio news release, July 21, 2015

Built by China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co., the AG-600 can carry 50 people during a maritime search and rescue mission. To extinguish forest fires, it can take on 12 metric tons of water from a lake or sea within 20 seconds and pour it on the fire. Powered by 4 turboprop engines, it will be the world’s largest amphibious aircraft, with a maximum takeoff weight of 53.5 tons and an operational range of about 4,500 kilometers. According tot he aircraft’s chief designer, China will be able to use its first domestically developed amphibious plane to enhance its operational capability at sea and safeguard its maritime interests.

CAS news release, July 20, 2015

Target is the development of China’s largest cellulosic ethanol manufacturing plant, located in Siping City, Jilin Province. The agreement allows NTL to license DuPont’s cellulosic ethanol technology and use DuPont™ Accellerase® enzymes, to produce renewable biofuel from the leftover biomass on Jilin Province’s highly productive corn farms. NTL is working to secure the necessary government approvals and support to implement this agreement. NTL aims to produce cellulosic renewable fuel for the rapidly growing Chinese liquid biofuel market, which is projected to exceed 7 billion liter per year by 2020.

China Bio news release, July 17, 2015

20 varietis of edible sea cucumbers are currently bred in China. Farming area is 215,000 hectares, total output is 194,000 tons with a value of nearly 30 billion yuan (5 bill €), accounting for about 15% of the annual mariculture output. It is expected that genomic information will help breeding higher quality strains.

CAS news release, July 17, 2015

In collaboration with Zhaoke Pharmaceutical Co., Hefei, a team at the University of Science and Technology of China has expressed the gene for this venom with high anti-platelat adhesion aggregation activity in Pichia pastoris, obtaining yields of > 100 mg/L. Agkisacucetin is a heterodimeric protein of 29 kDa that is composed of α- and β-subunits7. Three intramolecular disulphide bonds are present in each subunit, and one intermolecular disulphide bridge exists between the α- and β-subunits. Engineered variants of this venom protein are now being investigated as anti-thrombolytic agents.

CAS news release, July 14, 2015

75 % of these withdrawals concerned Chinese herbal drugs, and withdrawal concerned 15 provinces. This is a consequence of stricter rules through unannounced inspections taking place this year.

China Bio news release, July 10, 2015

Using gene editing technologies, the groups of Jin-Soo KIM at Seoul National University and of Xi-Jun JIN at Yanbian University succeeded to breed “double-muscular type” pigs by inserting the gene for myostatin expression derived from Belgian blue cattle into a domestic pig variety. The new variety is claimed to grow more muscle mass, but only photographs have been published so far. The authors plan to have the new pig variety approved for human consumption.

China Bio news release, July 10, 2015

The company, Hebei Huadan Complete Biodegradable Plastics Co. (HeadBio Co.), has built a plant with a capacity of 150.000 t in Hebei’s Yuhua District. The investment of 100 million Yuan came in part from Taiwan’s Weimon Group. A focus will be on cups, plates, but also on disposable bags and green mulch. The prize of the products is claimed to be similar to conventional products.

CAS Bio news release, July 3, 2015