China’s surface water quality improves
MA Ting and ZHOU Chenghu from the CAS Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research have analyzed COD and nitrogen pollution across surface waters in China during a 15 year period. They conclude that concentrations of these two pollution parameters declined at the national level by 63 and 78%, respectively, during this period.
https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/1/eaau3798
Bioremediation of polluted land becomes popular
A pioneer company in this field, Heijing Bioengineering Co. in Shanghai, uses soil sub-section repair methods to set up greenhouses on the restored land, planting more than 10 different kinds of plants such as alfalfa and wheat blueberry, and using different types of...
Practicising TCM becomes more regulated
As a counteraction to some unlawful practices in traditional Chinese medicine, in particular commercials in radio, TV and other media, the Standing Committee of Hebei Province People's Congress recently passed the Regulations of Chinese Medicine in Hebei Province"...
4,500 m deep-sea manned submersible put into operation
The „Shenhai Yongshi“ (Deep-Sea Warrior) can dive to 4,500 m and is considered an important stepping stone to China’s 10,000 m manned submersible which is presently under construction and set for explorations in the Mariana Trench in 2020. 95 % of the Shenhai Yongshi...
CAS Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology: a focus on cell factories
According to ZHANG Xueli, Director at the institute, has created 30 cell factories, an average of one every 2 months, for improved production of fine chemicals such as amino acids, rare sugars etc. by metabolic engineering and systems microbiology. Among them are 6...
Munich’s MorphoSys and I-MAB Biopharma sign agreement on MOR202 therapeutic antibody against multiple myeloma and other diseases
I-MAB, a Shanghai-based startup has agreed with MorphoSys on the exclusive development and commercialization of MOR202 in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. The investigational drug MOR202 is a human HuCAL antibody directed against the CD38 target. Scientifically...
Group at CAS QIBEBT models triglyceride synthesis in Nannochloropsis microalgae
Based on an analysis of genetic diversity, transcriptomic comparisons and functional complementarity derived from secondary symbiosis, the group of XU Jian and CAS QIBEBT proposed a mechanistic model of triglyceride biosynthesis in Nannochloropsis oceanica, an...
National Energy Board strengthens outlook for biomass power generation during „135“
According to recently published „Guiding Opinions on Implementation oft he 13th Five-year Plan for Renewable Energy Development“ issued by the National Energy Administration, the original plan was nearly doubled and now targets by 2020 up to 23.34 million kilowatts...
Chinese consortium forms around CAR-T therapy, regulations still unclear
Nine pharmaceutical companies such as JW Therapeutics, Fosun Kite, Carsgen Therapeutics, HRAIN Biotechnology, Genor Biopharma and others have officially established the Shanghai Alliance for Immune Cell Therapy Industry. The Shanghai Biomedicine Science and Technology...
China’s youngest academician, Tao XU (徐涛)
A biomedical engineer by education, Tao XU is presently Director of the Innovation Center of Instruments and Technologies for Life Sciences at CAS Beijing Institute of Life Sciences. His focus is on membrane and vesicle transport. Born in May 1970, he was a postdoc...
In 2017, over 40 pharmaceutical ventures went public in China
On average, there were 4 IPO per month, and nearly 90 % of the companies had VC/PE support. The original investment period of 8-10 years was reduced to about 3-5 years. Total funds raised reached over 200 billion yuan. China Bio news release, November 30, 2017
Cyanobacterial sucrose synthesis is closely linked to glycogen pool
Cyanobacteria such as Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942 overproduce sucrose to achieve osmotolerance in saline solution. The teams around Xuefeng LU and Quan LUO at CAS Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT), in collaboration with Martin Hagemann...
CFDA proposes law to simplify certification of drugs
According to a CFDA law amendment brought to congress vote, certification of drugs in China might be simplified in the future: 1. permission for manufacture and GMP certificate will be combined in one certificate, and 2. permission for storage (GSP = good storage...