Liu Hong: Be a medicine man with one heart and one mind

Liu Hong: Be a medicine man with one heart and one mind

Liu Hong: Be a medicine man with one heart and one mind Liu Hong: Be a medicine man with one heart and one mind

Liu Hong is experimenting
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Photo courtesy of Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Chinese Academy of Sciences

With the continuous extension of human life span, the probability of human beings suffering from various diseases is getting higher and higher
.

According to the Global Health Estimates Report 2019 released by the World Health Organization, non-communicable diseases account for 7 of the current top ten causes of death in the world

Liu Hong, a researcher at the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica) and deputy director of the State Key Laboratory of New Drug Research, has been on the road of new drug research and development for more than 20 years
.

"Doing national affairs, taking responsibility for the country, and finding new medicines that can cure diseases in thousands of worlds is my original intention in scientific research, and it is also a lifelong pursuit

Anxious country

Anxious country

Born into a medical family, Liu Hong has been particularly interested in dispensing medicine since she was a child.
She resolutely chose China Pharmaceutical University as a volunteer for the college entrance examination
.

In 1999, after receiving her Ph.

The target of a drug is usually a biological macromolecular protein, and new drug research often uses synthetic small molecule compounds to interact with the target of a macromolecule, and regulate the target to achieve a therapeutic effect
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To put it more vividly, it is to find the "best pairing" between small molecule compounds and large molecule proteins, and to find suitable and druggable lead compounds for some key targets

At the beginning of 2020, the Spring Festival is approaching, and the new crown pneumonia is coming fiercely
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At the critical moment, the Shanghai Institute of Drugs responded quickly and established an anti-epidemic research team

Due to the highly conservative nature of the substrate binding pocket of the main protease of the coronavirus, the R&D team decided to adopt a structure-based drug design strategy for drug development against new coronary pneumonia
.

After working hard day and night for several months, the research team made important progress and discovered a new type of novel coronavirus pneumonia virus candidate drug with novel structure, high efficiency and safety

Looking back on his research and development experience, Liu Hong said that the interests of the country and the people are above all else.
Engaged in innovative drug research, a strong sense of social responsibility and mission are the "standard equipment" that scientists should have, and the original intention of "producing new and good drugs" Mission is always the standard for her practice
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Liu Hong believes that Shanghai Institute of Pharmaceuticals is a national team and should be guided by national needs and put the people's interests first
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She has long been concerned about the research and development of drugs for major diseases such as avian influenza and AIDS that are related to national health and safety, and has made technical reserves for national public health and safety

Innovative research and development methods in response to the trend of the times

Innovative research and development methods in response to the trend of the times

With huge investment in research and development of new drugs, Liu Hong knows the reality well
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In order to reduce research and development costs and improve efficiency, she and her team combined traditional medicinal chemistry design methods with computer-aided drug design and biological activity screening methods to target infectious diseases (AIDS, avian influenza), inflammation, tumors, and cardiovascular diseases.
More than 20 targets for diseases and other diseases are used for the discovery and optimization of drug lead compounds
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How to quickly synthesize compounds with drug potential for activity testing and safety evaluation is a very important research process
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Combining actual needs, Liu Hong and others have developed a series of innovative, efficient and environmentally friendly new organic synthesis methods
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She said that relying on these efficient synthetic methods, not only can the target molecules be quickly obtained, but also a compound library with a large number of compounds with advantageous framework structures can be established, which can be used as a reserve of resources for the activity screening of new targets in the future
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Using this drug research model, Liu Hong handed over a beautiful report card
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The team has discovered more than 10 new drug candidates for infectious diseases, inflammation, tumors and metabolic diseases and other disease fields, 7 of which are in clinical research, 86 domestic and foreign authorized patents, and 7 technology transfers have been achieved
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"I believe that in the future, this drug research model will also efficiently provide more disease candidates
.
" Liu Hong is confident about this
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In her view, a qualified scientific researcher must have innovative thinking and awareness, and a persevering exploration and pursuit of science, a spirit of dedication and hard work for scientific research, and more importantly, a strong A sense of social responsibility and mission
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All achievements stem from the joint efforts of the team

All achievements stem from the joint efforts of the team

In July of this year, Shanghai's "Most Beautiful Science and Technology Workers" in 2021 were announced, and 10 science and technology workers including Liu Hong were selected
.
"I am a member of the new drug design and discovery research team.
All achievements and honors are the result of the joint efforts of the entire team
.
" Liu Hong said
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Like many people engaged in scientific research, Liu Hong also hopes to produce results as soon as possible, but the research and development cycle of new drugs is long, and not every synthetic compound can become a new drug on the market
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In her view, how to create a positive and energetic research atmosphere is very important
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"Ms.
Liu can always find fun in the ordinary scientific research work, and pass the joy to us
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" Researcher Wang Jiang said
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At the end of each year, Liu Hong encourages and organizes students to arrange sketches, perform chorus and other programs, always winning applause and applause
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"Scientific research is explored in failures, but literary creation can give full play to students' strengths, enrich their scientific life, and build up their self-confidence
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" The students and the team have always been concerned and concerned about Liu Hong
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"Scientific research is explored in failures, but literary creation can give full play to students' strengths, enrich their scientific life, and build up their self-confidence
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" The students and the team have always been concerned and concerned about Liu Hong
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As a tutor for more than 20 years, Liu Hongtao and plum are all over the world, always paying attention to education work
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She cares about popular science education for young people and strives to improve the education level in remote areas.
She has participated in the production of several popular science education courseware and popular science micro-videos
.
"I didn't do anything, it's not worth mentioning
.
" When asked about this, Liu Hong waved his hand again and again
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"I didn't do anything, it's not worth mentioning
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" When asked about this, Liu Hong waved his hand again and again
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Don't forget your original intention, and be a medicine man wholeheartedly
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No matter how many difficulties encountered in scientific research, Liu Hong was full of enthusiasm in her heart
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"When everyone grows up, they will think about what they are suitable for and what they are interested in
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I think doing scientific research is very interesting work.
This belief has given me endless motivation
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" Liu Hong said
.