From the "hidden corner" of life, the key laboratory parade

(1) Liu Mofang Researcher(2) Meng Feilong Researcher (first from right) and students(3) Zhang Wenhong (left) and Xu Wei Researcher (right) signed a cooperation framework agreement on behalf of Huashan Hospital and Molecular Cell Center, respectively.(4) Chen Lingling Researcher (right) guides students(5) 1986 Molecular National Re-assessment and Acceptance Conference (6) Experimental Building Liu Mofang just returned to the National Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, in the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wang Endo Research Group as an associate leader. But she was interested in a different direction than the mainstream of the group. With the support of the leaders, Liu Mofang set up an independent laboratory and opened up a new research direction.
"Because I was promoted from the institute's associate researcher to head of the research team, did not get the relevant talent program funding, every penny to apply for their own, the initial stage is very difficult." Liu Mofang told China Science Daily.
, there was no shortage of people here who helped her. Academician Wang Endo gave her the lead on a "973" project, with more than 2 million yuan in project funds to be used by her, and Li Lin, then director of the National Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, also drew 300,000 yuan from his research funds to support her. Liu Mofang smiled and said, "This money has not yet been returned to Mr. Li Lin." In addition, she has the support of many researchers in the National Key Laboratory and Research Institute of Molecular Biology to help her solve one technical problem after another in her research work.
for Liu, it was a "difficult" day and a warm time.Liu's subjects were a small RNA molecule called "piRNA" that interacts with the Piwi protein and is an essential factor in the development of animal reproductive cells and the reproduction of offspring.
mammals, piWI/piRNA regulatory paths function only in male reproduction. Liu Mofang naturally thought: Will this path line affect men's fertility?
2017, the Liu Mofang Research Group, in collaboration with the Shanghai Institute of Family Planning Science, screened 413 patients with clinical insemination and infirmity and found that three patients had a hybrid mutation of the Piwi gene. Using mouse animal models, they proved for the first time internationally that the Piwi gene mutation can lead to male infertility. The work, published in the journal Cell, was also named one of the top 10 advances in life sciences in China in 2017.
group didn't stop there. In 2019, another of their major achievements was published in Cells, which found that the PIWI/piRNA complex in sperm cells could act as a regulatory "machine" for protein production, activating the translation of proteins in mouse sperm cells and safeguarding functional sperm production.
the charm of basic research is this: you first discover a phenomenon, and then dissect the biological rationale. And when you figure out the rationale, you can design experiments to solve biological or medical problems. "When the results came out, we realized that we could use interventions to restore some of the sperm's activity and get them to 'swim' again. "They are now further exploring the clinical transformation of the results of the study.
, Liu Mofang's "scientific research report card" has already been fruitful, she herself has grown into a well-known scholar in the field. But she can't forget the challenges of applying for the first funding and publishing her first paper when she first stepped into the field.
"Looking back, everything has a process. There are very few shortcuts to success in life, and everyone has come along so slowly. "Fortunately, the National Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology has been a solid backing for us. The1984 was the year of the launch of the National Key Laboratory Construction Program. In the same year, the National Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology came into being, becoming the first key laboratory established in the field of life science research in China.
key laboratory of molecular biology, which is responsible for stabilizing the military heart and retaining the fire. Zhou Jinqiu, director of the National Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, said.
the 1950s, molecular biology has been developing rapidly in the world. But China, which was poor and weak at the time, was far from equipped to develop the discipline. This difference is 30 years - after the reform and opening up, when researchers go a country and find that we have fallen far behind the international level in this field.
" at that time, the discipline system of modern life science in China has not yet been established, and there is a great shortage of relevant talents. Looking at the whole
, the research direction is closest to molecular biology is
Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry (later and original
Shanghai Institute of Cell Biology integrated into
Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, referred to as the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology. So the burden of this history falls here. Zhou Jinqiu said.
the establishment of the National Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology has injected a strong heart into the relevant fields of scientific research, but also to the research institute at that time is not sufficient funds to bring a timely rain.
the following decades, generations of national key laboratories in molecular biology began to work in this field at an international level.
, molecular biology is no longer an unattainable "nobility" in the field of life sciences, molecular biology experimental technology has become a common research method in the field of biomedical science. However, the National Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology still has a unique position.
" National Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology focuses on DNA, RNA and protein, covering all angles and levels of the central law of molecular biology, forming a three-legged research pattern. Meng Feilong, a researcher at the
Center for Excellence and Innovation in Molecular Cell Science (Biochemistry and Cell Institute), said, "In China, there are only a few scientific research groups that can fully cover the central law and focus on cutting-edge research, and the National Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology is one of them." This 's graduate life as Meng Feilong was spent here. When he was a student, bio-chemicals and cells bought a new fluorescent quantitative PCR instrument, which was a sought-after one.
, Meng Feilong booked a 3 a.m. PCR session, thinking no one would stay up later than himself. Who knows when he did the experiment, in the instrument appointment record book, saw the name behind him.
"It's unthinkable now," he said. Meng Feilong laughed. Today's Biochemical and Cell Institute has built seven technical support platforms, such as molecular biology technology platform, cell analysis technology platform, chemical biology technology platform, animal experimental technology platform, etc., providing strong hardware support for the innovation activities of researchers.
Meng Feilong graduated from the Institute of Biogenics and Cells in 2009 and returned from studying abroad in 2015. In his eyes, the six-year-old National Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology has both a surprising new look and an old tradition that makes him feel more intimate.
" laboratory focus on the band, encourage the old and young culture, has never changed. He said. There is a unique "mentor" system, for the newly introduced talent, will be designated senior researchers as mentors, in the laboratory establishment, research direction, the publication of papers and student training and other aspects of guidance.
One of Meng Feilong's "mentors" is Xu Guoliang, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who often spends half a day discussing issues of common interest, and often takes advantage of lunch to bump into the sparks of thought.
"Flying Dragon, we have some questions to talk about it!" "Xu Guoliang's signature opening remarks on the phone are a cherished memory in Meng Feilong's heart.
, as Mr. Liu says, many people borrow money from their mentors when they don't have enough money in the early days - a special tradition in our lab. Meng Feilong laughs, "In such a collective, you will be full of a sense of belonging." In
addition to the "mentor" system, bio-chemicals and cells also have a provision for the care of talent: the new institute researchers set a six-year stable support period to encourage them to do what they most want to do. A formal assessment will not be conducted until the end of the six-year period to determine whether the researcher's work is excellent and suitable for continued development here.
"Under this system, our young talent is highly talented - half of the research team leaders (PI) introduced between 2008 and 2013 have grown into 'outstanding young people', and the average time they have been admitted to this funding is about six years." Hu Guangjing, director of research at the Institute of Biogenics and Cells, said. July 29, 2020, a study published online in the journal Cell suggests new ways to improve CAR-T cell therapy. Leading the study was Xu Wei, a member of the National Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology and a researcher at the Center for Excellence and Innovation in Molecular Cell Science.
the so-called CAR-T cell therapy, which uses genetic engineering techniques to specifically identify tumor antigen receptor receptors (Chimeric antigen receptors, CAR) for T cells, modified T cells can accurately snipe tumor cells.
" but CAR-T cell therapy also has obvious drawbacks. On the one hand, car-T cells overactive can easily cause cytokine storms, on the other hand, CAR-T cells in the body is not sustainable, so can not be long-term monitoring of tumor cells, may lead to tumor recurrence. Xu said.
study, they used a variety of advanced technologies to analyze the signal transduction mechanism of a key signaling molecule, CD3, which is then integrated into CD3 in the 28Z CAR currently used clinically. Animal tests showed that the "upgraded" E28Z CAR-T anti-tumor activity increased significantly compared to the "original" and the duration increased significantly.
many of his colleagues in the laboratory, Xu is also committed to bringing his basic scientific research results to clinical applications. Previously, they developed a cholesterol metabolic regulation-based cancer immunotherapy treatment (China's top ten scientific advances in 2016) has been patented, and in cooperation with enterprises to achieve metastasis transformation.
the outbreak, Xu's research team also established cooperation with Zhang Wenhong, director of the infection department at Huashan Hospital affiliated with Fudan University. "The times have set us higher demands. The state requires us not only to issue papers, but also to produce products. We're going to take this step - the collaboration with Dr. Zhang Wenhong is a good example. Xu said, "As basic researchers, we used to feel that we and the people are far away, but now, we are trying to connect with society, and strive to use their own results for the benefit of the public." In
, molecules are the smallest research scale. Organic molecules, inorganic molecules, large and small, a variety of states, contains a variety of life phenomena in the deepest sense. Researchers at the National Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, again and again from the "hidden corner" of life, go to the steep peaks of science and the vast world of society. Innovation Center for Molecular Cell Science (Biochemistry and Cell Institute) has two national key laboratories - the National Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology and the National Key Laboratory for Cell Biology. The two laboratories communicate very closely.
at the institute's annual meeting, Chen Lingling, a researcher at the National Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology, gave an academic report on the substructile of the nucleoblast. Someone quipped to her, "You're so interested in cells, do you want to join us?"
joke, Chen Lingling privately thought deeply about the problem: "Water can carry a boat - cells are like a river, carrying countless molecules of the boat." Most of the biological functions of molecules are carried out in cellular environments. Whether from the level of life activities, scientific research, or from the management of scientific research institutions, 'molecules' and 'cells' are inextricable. Chen lingling
research object is the human genome of "dark matter" - non-coding RNA. Her team found four new types of non-coding RNA families, including tens of thousands of new RNA molecules. One of the things that fascinates her most is the ring RNA, because most of the RNA is wired. More than 40 years ago, scientists discovered the intermediates of ring RNA during the replication of plant viruses. But for a long time, little was known about this "tail-less RNA".
two years from 2012 to 2014, ring RNA was discovered and studied on a large scale, creating an increasingly popular field, thanks to advances in technology. A number of domestic and foreign task groups involved in this work, Chen Lingling team is one of them. Based on her original contribution to the field, the journal Nature-Molecular Cell Biology Review invited Chen Lingling to write a review of ring RNA twice in 2016 and 2020.
April 2019, Chen Lingling's team published a paper in Cells that revealed the important function of ring RNA in autoimmunity and suggested that the low expression of ring RNA is closely related to systemic lupus erythematosus. The study also used experimental methods in cell biology, where they added ring RNA to exosymistic blood monocytes and T-cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, finding that they were effective in alleviating abnormal immune responses and providing new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus. This work was named the annual paper of Cell Publishing House, which caused great reaction in the academic circles.
Chen Lingling and Liu Mofang are both involved in the National Natural Science Foundation's Innovative Research Group Project (RNA Regulation and Reproduction) led by Li Jinsong, Director of the National Key Laboratory for Cell Biology. Chen Lingling engaged in circular RNA research work, Liu Mofang engaged in small RNA research work, placed in Li Jinsong research team built a cell experimental system, just like a boat on the water, with a natural fit.
" molecular biology often involves the study of the cellular level, and the problem of cell biology also needs to explore the molecular structure. Hu Guangjing said, "The work of molecular state weight and cell state weight has long been insular." "
cells are the basic structure and functional units of life, and molecules are the specific implementers of cellular life activities. The communication and cooperation between the National Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology and the National Key Laboratory of Cell Biology is Molecular Biology and Cells