China in Africa

China Bio news release, Jan. 19, 2015

A team comprising the CAS Wuhan Institute of Virology, the CAS Institute of Biophysics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the Center for Tuberculosis Control of Guangdong Province, the CAS Institute of Hydrobiology, the Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and TB Healthcare Biotechnology Co., Ltd., developed a proteome microarray with 4262 M. tuberculosis proteins, covering 95 % of this organisms proteome. It will be used for global analysis of protein-protein interactions between human immune cells and the MTB pathogen, for analysis of protein interactions with small molecules in the discovery of drug targets, and for high-throughput analysis of serum samples in the systematic discovery of biomarkers for use in the diagnosis of tuberculosis.

CAS news release, Jan. 19, 2015

The clinical test will comprise 6 patients and is led by Jianwu DAI of this institute. The patients will be implanted mesenchymal stem cells and a collagen complex made up of collagen scaffold fibers, together with collagen binding brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Previous tests on rats and dogs showed positive results. If successful, 20 – 30 more patients will be treated in the future.

CAS news release, Jan. 19, 2015

China is the largest producer of lincomycin, a broad-spectrum antibiotic. The group around Wen LIU found that two bacterial thiols, MSH (mycothiol) and EGT(ergothioneine), couple during the biosynthesis of lincomycin A. EGT acts as a carrier to template the molecular assembly, and MSH is the sulfur donor for lincomycin maturation after thiol exchange

Qunfei ZHAO et al., Nature (2015) doi:10.1038/nature14137

A group composed from scientists of CAS Chengdu Institute of Biology Research, Tibetian Scientists and BGI assembled 3,89 Gb or 87 % of the genome, of which over 80 % consists of repeats. Barley is an important ancestral species for many modern corn varieties.

CAS news release, Jan. 14, 2015

Representatives are Dean Peirui QING and Xinhua WANG, Guangzhou Medical University. The center aims to introduce stem cells in in clinical translational research, e. g., for the treatment of malignant neoplasms of immune cells.

China Bio news release, Jan. 14, 2015

China’s Icebreaking research vessel Xuelong arrived near Victoria Land of Antarctica on Dec. 26, carrying 13 expedition members and 10 tons of supply. Targets are surveys, mapping and geo-information

CAS news release, Jan. 9. 2014

By 2020, Shandong targets sales of 10 million tons of aquatic products, equivalent to 400 million tons of grain-based products. A focus will be on technological innovation, including modern fishing and feeding technology.

China Bio news release, Jan. 9, 2015

Hisun which produces already 50.000 t of PLA is starting construction of a new plant at Taizhou Bay on 313 acres, with an investment of 950 million Yuan. The construction period is given with 18 months.

China Bio news release, Jan. 9, 2015

The company, located in Jiangyin, Jiangsu Province, has developed mass production for a recombinant mussel peptide fused with RGD peptide which acts as a biological glue for wound healing, orthopedic applications etc. For technology development, CA Floudas, a Princeton scholar and member of the US Academy of Engineering, served as a consultant.

China Bio news release, Jan. 8, 2014

According to a lead article,
1. the sales of prescription drugs over the internet will strongly increase, due to deregulation by the CFDA,
2. drug prizes will be gradually liberalized,
3. a new environmental protection law with toughter penalties has been enacted as of Jan. 1, 2015,
4. import taxes on many products have been lowered
5. medical devices will be regulated according to 3 risk categories,
6. private health insurances will step forward,
7. an overhauled budget law has come into action
8. central corporate management will be paid by a basic salary plus a performance pay,
9. lawful real estate property will be more secure, and
10. 338 cities and over 1400 monitoring sites will publish real-time air quality monitoring data (PM10, PM2.5 and six other indicators)

China Bio newsrelease, Jan. 6, 2015

Renhe XU reports that embryonic stemm cells obtained from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells improved the symptoms of this autoimmune diseases among patients

China Bio news release, Jan. 5, 2015

The procedure involves asymmetric allylation with commercially available chiral ligands in a one-pot acid catalysis. The procedure works without pre-activation and leads to wate ras the only by-product.

ianggao XI et al., Organic Letters (2014, 16, pp 5350-5353)

Endometrial damage is one of the main reasons for infertility. DAI Jianwu, director at the Third Military Medical University, has used stem cells to repair the endometrium in 9 cases, and three patients have successfully given birth.Stem cells are xtracted from the patient’s own bone marrow stem cells and adhered to a 4 cm wide, 6 cm long collagen film, then transplanted into the patient’s damaged parts of the inner wall of the uterus. Operation time is 1 hr.

China Bio news release, Jan. 5, 2015

As a resource for Chinese herbal medicine, the Sichuan Germplasm Bank is a national key project. It is planned to store up to 200.000 germplasm items, and supporting laboratory area will be 1245 m2, plus 1640 m2 for short-term storage etc.

China Bio news release, Jan. 5, 2015