CHINA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
NEWSLETTER
The Ministry of Science and Technology
People's Republic of China
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N0.394 |
February 20,2005 |
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IN THIS ISSUE
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* China’s Strategies for Bioindustry
* First Charter for NNSF
* New Evidence for Cytoplasmic Impact on Cloned Fish
* New Channels Discovered for Nerve Growth
* Mobiles May Hurt Sperm Cells
* China Builds Mega Kilowatt Nuclear Power Station
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China’s Strategies for Bioindustry
Initiated by the China State Development and Reform Commission, a study, in an attempt to map up the strategic development of China’s bioindustry, has recently been completed by a joint team made up of experts from a dozen government agencies and research institutes, including the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Education. Coming up with a conclusion that bioindustrial development is of strategic importance to China, the report asks China to firmly grasp major strategic opportunities in the field of biotechnology and associated industry. Using a strategy to build up the nation with the socalled bioeconomy, China shall turn bioindustry into a new pillar sector, featured with large scale, high technology content, fast growth, and strong stimulus for other industries, in a timeframe of 10 to 15 years. The report expects China to work out proprietary products in the strategic fields of biotechnology, forming a basic capacity to develop core technologies, and an independent innovation capability for upgrading its bioindustry. According to the report, China shall be enabled to produce major biotechnology products to meet basic domestic demands, and nurture out a number of modern biotech enterprises of international competitiveness and internationalized operations.
The report states that the development of China’s bioindustry shall be paralleled with the development of three major systems, covering fund raising, innovation, and legislation aspects. At the same time, China shall work on three major projects concerning health, biofarming, and innovative spin-offs, placing priorities on six priority industrial fields, including bioagriculture, biomedicine, biomanufacturing, bioenergy, bioenvironment, and bioservice. China also expects to establish a number of bioindustry bases, and organize the implementation of nine major special projects, including high yield biobreeding, medicines for treating major diseases, Chinese traditional medicines, and green biomanufacturing. The report puts forward a line of policy proposals in the context of promoting the development of bioindustry.
First Charter for NNSF
China National Natural Science Foundation (NNSF) has recently rolled out its first Charter since the establishment in 1986, in a move to regulate the use, management, distribution, assessment, approval and supervision of the fund.
The Charter is made up of 9 chapters, covering general objectives, governance modality, management bodies, financing management, financial and assets management, personnel management, supervision, and international (regional) cooperation and exchanges. The Charter lines up work criteria and norms of conduct for the Foundation, with clearly defined terms of reference and responsibilities for its decision making, execution, supervision, and consultation components. The Charter provides an institutional guarantee for efficient operation, coordination, transparent management of the Foundation, and for promoting a scientific, standardized, and regulated work process.
The Charter gives out clear definitions on basic principles, basic procedures, challenge system, and secrecy mechanism for key management links, such as assessing and reviewing candidates to be financed. It also establishes the criteria for selecting assessment and reviewing experts, and functionalities for experts review process and disciplinary assessment group. Major principles are also written down for project management and fund security.
New Evidence for Cytoplasmic Impact on Cloned Fish
A study team, chaired by ZHU Zuoyan, an academician and research fellow at Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, discovered for the first time in the world new evidence telling the cytoplasm impacts on the growth of cloned fish at a molecular level. The finding confirms the fact that the recipient egg cytoplasm exercises a noticeable control over the development and morphogenesis of cloned fish.
The study team made an intraspecies cloning, and harvested seven cross-genus fish from 501 operating eggs, through transferring nuclei from transgenic common carp into enucleated eggs of goldfish. The cloned fish are phenotypically identical to their nuclear donors, rather than to goldfish. Both PCR testing and comparative analysis of DNA and RAPD confirm the fact that the nuclei genomes of cloned fish are exclusively derived from the nuclear donor species, or common carp. Meanwhile, one can find the co-existence of mitochondrial DNA from both the donor and recipient species in a cloned fetus, though before the blood circulation phase. However, the donor carp’s mitochondrial DNA would gradually disappear during the development of nuclear transfer (NT) embryos. As a result, of the seven cloned fish, six have a vertebral number between 26 and 28, and the rest at 31. Normally, a common carp has a vertebral number between 33 and 36, with goldfish between 26 and 28. Experimental data demonstrate that the recipient egg cytoplasm plays an important role in both development and morphogenesis of a cloned fish. The finding produces a new evidence for cytoplasm impacts on the growth of cloned fish at a molecular level, which is of important scientific and social significance. The finding was published in the latest March issue of journal Biology of Reproduction.
New Channels Discovered for Nerve Growth
TRPC channels play an essential role in guiding nerve growth cones, discovered by a study team headed by YUAN Xiaobing and WANG Yizheng, both working for the Institute of Neurosciences under the Shanghai Institute of Biological Science, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The finding was published in the March 10 issue of journal Nature.
Chinese researchers made the first observation of extracellular guiding factors, or a protein named brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), using a method to change the direction of growth corns. Researchers found that BDNF is able to open up a TRPC channel, in the course of sending signals to cell membranes, which elevates Ca2+ concentration within axonal growth cones. The elevated concentration tends to guide nerve fibers to grow in a direction toward the BDNF of a higher concentration. The finding reveals that TRPC channel activity is essential for nerve-growth-cone guidance by BDNF, giving a new clue for understanding the repairing mechanism of damaged nerve cells.
Mobiles May Hurt Sperm Cells
Electromagnetic radiation emitted by a mobile telephone may damage sperm cells in men’s testicles, reported by a study chaired by Prof. ZHANG Yuanzhen, who is working for the Zhongnan hospital, affiliated to Wuhan University.
Using a male mouse model under electromagnetic radiation, researchers found that a 1400μW·cm-2 group showed a noticeably reduced activity of LDH-X, when the mobile phone pulse was set between 600－210 0μW·cm-2, and a frequency between 800－1900MHZ. In addition, researchers observed clear mitochondria abnormality in sperm tails in a supermicro structure, marking different sizes and uneven distributions, plus some swelling and unusually low density. However, researchers found no abnormality in the 570μW·cm-2 group that was set at a range lower than 600μW·cm-2.
Researchers told reporters that mobile phone’s effect on human reproduction system has never been reported before this, though many studies revealed mobile phone’s impacts on brain activities, central nerve system, and oncogenesis. Prof. ZHANG believes that experiments have demonstrated mobile telephone affecting spermatogenous cells’ energy metabolism, in particular that of sperm, and making them produce reproductive toxicity, through electromagnetic radiation effects on mitochondria. He added, however, further studies are needed to know the implications of such damage on pregnancy and fetus development.
Rabbit Cornea Cloned
Researchers at the No. 9 People’s Hospital, affiliated to Shanghai No. 2 Medical School, have successfully cloned rabbit cornea, using tissue-engineering technology. The progress implicates that human society is not that far from cloning human cornea, an effort that will eventually ease the shortage of donated corneas.
Under the guidance of Prof. CAO Yilin, chief scientist of the National 973 Program, Dr. HU Xiaojie and others separated cornea stem cells from rabbit cornea. Researchers then reconstructed ‘live’ cornea tissues, using the means of external culture, enlargement, and degradable biomaterials. The 5-year long patient efforts eventually allowed researchers to repair damaged rabbit cornea using cloned tissues, which successfully formed up transparent cornea tissues of a complete structure. The innovative technique, using internal body cells as raw materials, eliminates the poor practice of patching damaged one with the undamaged, and minimizes immune repulsion.
Everyone Works for a Green Homeland
June 5 is the world day for environment. PAN Yue, Chinese Deputy Administrator of State Environmental Protection said recently that China gave the day a theme “everyone participates to build a green homeland”, in a move to mobilize everybody in the society to build homeland into an ecologically friendly province, an environmental protection role model, an ecologically friendly industrial park, or a green community. The effort will create a green homeland harping harmonious tunes between men and environment.
PAN told reporters that in recent years China has vigorously advocated for environmental protection, and built up demonstration role models, in an attempt to establish a cyclic economy system that suits China’s own situation. Coming out from the efforts are a number of cyclic economy role models in different types, with different scales, and at different levels. There are now 8 ecological reconstruction provinces, 5 cyclic economy demonstration provinces or cities, and 14 ecologically friendly industrial sectors. In addition, 44 cities have been honored at the national level as environmental protection role models, with 166 ecologically friendly demonstration zones, and 79 townships with beautiful environment. Other campaigns, including green communities, green schools, and national environment friendly enterprises, have also achieved progresses. Activities to build a green homeland, and to advocate for ecological civilization and cyclic economy, provide support for establishing a resource efficient and environment friendly society, and for establishing a long term environmental protection modality.
China’s Space Trash Observation Center
Not long ago, the Chinese Academy of Sciences established a space target and debris observation and research center at the Purple Mountain Observatory, the first of its kind in China.
With a team made up of some ten senior space trash experts, the research center expects to establish a micro-space debris database, track down the existing space trashes on a real time basis, spot undiscovered space trashes, work on technologies to detect the space debris that might possibly do harm to space vehicle launch or orbit operation, and eventually establish a risk assessment system. The Purple Mountain Observatory will erect an internationally advanced near celestial body telescope at Xuyi, Jiansu Province, in a move to facilitate the new center’s operation. The telescope will cover and track down most of space trashes flying over China’s territorial space. To be free from interference, including illuminating lights and air pollution, all observation activities will be staged night only.
China Builds Mega Kilowatt Nuclear Power Station
Guangdong Ling’ao Nuclear Power Station has recently inked a phase II contract in Beijing. The phase II project will come up with the first instance of mega kilowatt nuclear power station independently designed and constructed by China. The event marks China’s ambition to build up domestic capacity for nuclear power stations at the mega kilowatt level.
According to a briefing, the phase II project makes the third commercial nuclear power station in the Guangdong area, following the phase-I project for both the Dayawan Nuclear Power Station and Ling’ao Nuclear Power Station, both developed by China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group. The new project plans to build two water pile nuclear generators at the mega kilowatt level. Staring from December 2005 and ending in 2010 for the construction, the phase II nuclear generators will be put into commercial operation in 2011.
The new project will play a role in enhancing China’s capacity for independent design, manufacturing, construction and operation of a water pile nuclear power station at the mega kilowatt level. China works hard to fully grasp engineering design and facility manufacturing technologies of second generation water pile nuclear power station, in an attempt to promote the localization and proprietary manufacturing of the nuclear power industry. The effort will lay a foundation for the independent development of third generation nuclear power technology.
Raised S&T Output in 2004
China enhanced its input in education, science, culture and health activities in 2004. Of the enhancement, S&T expenditure enjoys an increase by RMB 9.85 billion, or a 13.7% growth, compared to 2003. In 2004, the central government intensified its input in basic, high technology, and public good research activities, keeping its support for the construction of national S&T infrastructure platforms, and for a knowledge innovation project initiated by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In addition, the state treasury increased the appropriations for its S&T part by RMB 5.234 billion, with a growth of 11.9%.
Penned Panda Imbedded with ID Card
To effectively monitor the number of panda and avoid panda’s kinship reproduction activities, China State Forestry Bureau decides to imbed penned panda with high-tech IDs, said official of Dept. of Wildlife Protection, a part of the State Forestry Bureau.
According to a briefing, three ID embedding alternatives are currently ready for final selection. Of them, a gene based ID embedding solution attracts most attention for its high-tech content. The solution will provide panda’s basic data and information, including age and kinship. This can be easily done simply by plucking out a hair from panda. Expecting to go full-fledged in the year, the effort will allow researchers to track down the information of panda that have been released into the natural environment. Statistics show that as of the end of last year, China has penned up 163 panda, in addition to 1,590 panda that are living in wild environment.
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