CHINA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
NEWSLETTER
The Ministry of Science and Technology
People's Republic of China
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N0.390 |
January 10,2005 |
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IN THIS ISSUE
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* CAS and CAE’s New Year Endeavor
* Special Programs Solved Key Technologies
* More Progress for Technology Standardization
* First Human HLA Allele Discovered
* Oral H pylori Vaccine for Phase III Testing
* Durable Painkillers
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CAS and CAE’s New Year Endeavor
A resolution on strengthening S&T innovation capacity building was adopted at a meeting recently held by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). According to the resolution, CAS will concentrate its efforts on strengthening S&T innovation capacity building, and realize a leaping and sustainable development through the phase III of the so-called knowledge innovation demonstrations, in a move to render new contributions to the socioeconomic development, national security, and to the improvement of people’s life.
It is pointed out at the meeting that the phase III activities of the knowledge innovation demonstrations shall enhance original innovations, proprietary key technology innovations, major system integration, knowledge innovations, and technology support capacity, striving to raise the capacity of addressing current and future major S&T issues concerning the socioeconomic development, striving to raise the capacity of providing knowledge bases and technology support for realizing scientific development concepts, striving to raise the capacity of safeguarding the national security and responding to new changes in the military world, striving to climb up the world’s scientific peaks, and striving to build CAS into a scientific research base of an internationally advanced level , a base for training of high caliber S&T personnel, and a base for promoting high tech industrialization in the country.
The Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) also adopted a resolution, at a meeting held recently, in a move to take further advantage of the roles played by academicians. The resolution placed the priorities in the year on three major activities, including strengthening the construction of an academician contingent, strengthening decision making related consultation, and improving the quality of academic exchange activities.
To further strengthen the construction of the academician contingent, CAE will stick to the prescribed standards and qualifications in selecting academicians in 2005, a year for selection of additional academicians, with an emphasis on candidate’s scientific ethics. Attention will also be paid to discovering and selecting qualified young scientists, and optimizing the composition of the academician contingent.
To strengthen decision making related consultation activities, CAE, in the new year, will be an active part of China’ long and medium term S&T development planning process, in addition to its major missions in the fields of oil and gas resources, mineral resources, water resources, and information process. At the same time, CAE will widen international cooperation channels, and take effective use of overseas resources. In addition, CAE will organize innovation tours for academicians, allowing them to bring the latest technology and S&T knowledge to the localities.
To unify the management of academic activities, integrate resources and improve the quality of academic exchanges activities, CAE will build a multi-tiered platform for academic explorations and exchanges, especially for cutting edge issues and priorities concerning engineering development. CAE will continue to host series of academic activities, including the Xiangshan Meeting, engineering forums, and popular science activities. It encourages academic activities initiated by disciplinary departments, in an attempt to promote the development of the engineering contingent. The meeting also called for the establishment of an academic committee for post-graduate education at industrial research institutes, so as to spur up the development of engineering education at a higher level.
Special Programs Solved Key Technologies
Since putting in place in 2002 twelve major S&T special programs with a budget of more than RMB 20 billion, China has harvested phase progresses from these programs. For examples, the food safety special program makes breakthroughs in a line of key technologies, including food safety testing technology and control technology. 54 testing processes are created for quarantine examination of pesticides, vet drugs, and contaminated food sources. The program rolled out 18 equipment or instruments for testing pesticides, vet drugs and biological toxicants, and established the nation’s first import & export monitoring, pre-warning, risk analyzing and control system. A special program for new drugs and accelerating the modernization of Chinese traditional medicines has resulted in the establishment of technical platforms for new drug screening, safety evaluation, and scalable preparation of biological drugs. A special program created for the dairy industry has worked out solutions to address key technologies relating to fetus transplanting, which has produced more than 50% of the quality cow fetus needed in the nation, and laid a ground for establishing a technical support system for the industry.
Other special programs also made their harvests. For examples, the electric automobile special program applauds for important progresses made in key unit technologies, system integration and whole-car technologies. More than 500 patents, obtained either domestically or internationally, have effectively raised the competitiveness of China’s electric automobiles, a core product that will bring out a new industry. In the field of information technology, Chinese scientists have developed a preliminary research and development capacity in the core computer technology. A special biotechnology program cloned out functional genes of mice with broad application perspectives, marking China’s internationally advanced level in crop gene studies.
While raising China’s proprietary innovation capacity, special programs also brought about remarkable socioeconomic benefits. For example, a special program for deep processing of agricultural produces resulted in more than 100 new technologies and techniques, created a comprehensive economic return over RMB 10 billion. China’s technical development in water efficiency, through the implementation of a water efficiency special program, witnesses a narrowed gap with the internationally advanced level from 20 years to 15 years.
161 National Key Labs
Covering a wide range of basic research fields, China’s 161 national key labs have produced numerous S&T findings or results of an internationally advanced level. The Chengjiang animal colony, for example, discovered by the National Key Lab for Paleontology and Stratigraphy is deemed “one of the most astonishing discoveries made in the 20th century”. The lab’s investigation of the Chengjiang animal colony makes China a leader in studying the earlier life evolution process on earth. The National Key Lab for Medical Genetics has successfully cloned the genes causing high frequency nerve deafness, making a breakthrough from ground zero in cloning the genes causing local genetic diseases. The geometric calculation process for the Hamiltonian system, worked out by the National Key Lab for Science and Engineering Computation, creates a new approach to know the system. The new process has found broad applications in orbit calculation for celestial mechanics, and particle mechanics calculation for the particle accelerator.
Other national key labs also produced eye-catching achievements. While addressing national strategic needs, national key labs also provide powerful S&T support for the construction of major projects at the national level. For example, a national key lab serving for frozen earth projects worked out solid findings on frozen earth engineering process, which becomes a firm scientific basis for the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet railway system. The lab also provides technical support for the roadbed design and construction of the Qinghai-Tibet railway system, which saved over RMB 100 million for the project. A national key lab for disaster prevention oriented civil engineering developed wind and earthquake resistant technologies for more than 200 major national infrastructure projects.
More Progress for Technology Standardization
Study of Major Technology Standards, a major S&T initiative jointly organized and implemented by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and the National Committee for Standards in the 10th Five-year period(2001-2005), has achieved phased results in the two-year implementation.
According to a briefing, in the past 2 years, more than 70 central government agencies and sectors, 19 pilot cities, and 22 demonstration enterprises were mobilized to address technology standards. More than 2,100 experts from 650 research institutes participated in 61 topic oriented research activities. Up to date, about a hundred national and industrial standards have been formulated. Researches on China’s technology standard development strategies, and on the construction of a national technology standard system, have resulted in a draft plan for technology trade measures, strategies and pre-warning system. Four mandatory national standards are developed for air-conditioning units and refrigerators, which will result in a saving of 50 billion kWh within 5 years, and become an important supporting tool for China’s energy efficiency activities. A research project on key information processing technologies rolled out 12 national standards, which raised China’s position in international competition for information technology. In developing the techniques for testing food, Chinese traditional medicine, and effective elements in natural herbs, Chinese scientists worked out an analyzing system and standards that are in line with international norms. The system and standards have been used in market and industrial testings. Other major progresses are also seen in numerous aspects, including setting up standards for environmental markers, textile products safety, wireless local network, wireless broadband IP network, and city mapping system.
First Human HLA Allele Discovered
Working on a major basic research topic under the National 973 Program, a study team headed by XI Yongzhi, a research fellow with No. 307 Military Hospital, has recently discovered a human allele to HLA, the first of its kind in the world. The new allele is named A*110104 by the WHO HLA committee, and the finding is released at the international journal of HLA.
XI told reporters that the allele makes an important finding, as it has a reasonable frequency and universal nature among the Chinese population. The allele can be used to pair the person who needs an organ or stem cell transplanting, effectively preventing repulsion reactions or prolonging patients’ life. As China practices the family planning policy of “one child for one family”, the number of transplanting cases using non-family member as donor has gone up rapidly. The discovery of a gene similar to HLA will raise the success and accuracy rate for stem cell transplanting pairing. In addition, the new allele can be used in forensic identification and ethnic migration studies
Oral H pylori Vaccine for Phase III Testing
Under the financing of the “innovative drugs and the modernization of Chinese traditional medicine”, a major special program under the genetic engineering component of the 863 Program, a research team, studying the mediated oral H pylori vaccine at the No. 3 University of Military Medical Science, claims an important progress. Approved on December 3, 2004 for the phase III clinical trial, and expecting to become the first H pylori vaccine in the world, the vaccine is the only H pylori vaccine allowed into clinical trials in the country, and the first H pylori vaccine allowed into phase III clinical trials in the world.
The team completed in July 2002 the pre-phase researches for H pylori vaccines in pharmacy, pharmacology and toxin. On May 19, 2003, the team was allowed to move ahead into phases I and II clinical trials, which was completed on June 2004. The trial results have confirmed the safety performance of the vaccine, with a noticeable immune response effect. The vaccine has currently entered the phase III clinical trials, and will be tested on more than 10,000 volunteers.
Durable Painkillers
With the support of a genetic engineering component under the 863 Program, the General Military Hospital, in collaboration with other research institutes, rolled out a painkiller of durable effect. With a name of APA-BCCs, the new painkiller was granted on April 2004 with a certificate for new medical products by the State Food and Drug Administration. With Chinese scientists as the proprietor, the new product makes the first live cell based product in the world that can be injected into human body for therapeutic purpose.
As a cell based therapeutic product, the painkiller registers several dozens of days long painkilling effect in the clinical trials, with a maximum duration for as long as 120 days, and a 90% effect. Designed with insulation, BCCs will not be damaged by patients’ immune repulsion. The new painkiller will help cancer patients to drastically reduce their pains.
According to a briefing, the new drug will be put into mass production at the Shanghai Xilong Biopharmaceuticals Co. Ltd.
Broken Spinal Cord Can be Repaired
Financed by a tissue and organ project under the National 863 Program, the Capital Medical University, in collaboration with other medical and research institutes, have developed a tube for spinal cord reconstruction. The tube passed the verification check by the China National Institute of the Control of Pharmaceutical and Biological Products, and obtained on November 2, 2004 a report showing the testing results. With an approved therapeutic standard using the product, the spinal cord reconstruction tube is allowed into clinical trials.
Pre-phase study result shows that the reconstruction tube can effectively connect the wholly or partially broken spinal cords of rats, resuming the normal functions of paralyzed limbs. The test also shows that the tube can connect the partially broken spinal cords of the monkey, restored its lower limb functions to a remarkable extent.
Under normal circumstances, it will cost RMB 100,000 to reconstruct a patient’s spinal cord using the tube. This will create an application market worth several billion RMB.
Ice Dome Sends Back Weather Data
The Chinese Antarctic Expedition Team, in its 21st trip to the South Pole, installed on January 17, 2005 an automatic weather station on the Dome A, the highest point in the continent at 4,093m above the sea level. The automatic weather station, physically located at 80.3672oS and 77.5392oE, has been working smoothly and sent data back to the ground station via satellite. Data show that the area is of a surface temperature at –32.4 ℃，relative humidity 17%，a southerly wind speed 1.9m/s, and an air pressure 581.8 hpa.
The station, 603 meters higher than Russia’s oriental station in the same continent, makes the highest weather observation station in the Antarctic. In glacier studies, snow temperature at a depth of 10m is usually taken to represent the local mean annual temperature. The station registers a 10-m deep snow temperature of –58.5℃, which is lower than the one recorded at Russia’s oriental station. It is therefore concluded that the area, where the station is physically located, may record a new lowest surface temperature in the world.
Comments or inquiries on editorial matters or Newsletter content should be directed to:Mr. Mao Zhongying, Department of International Cooperation, MOST 15B, Fuxing Road Beijing 100862, PR China Tel: (8610)58881360 Fax: (8610) 58881364
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