Annual Conference

【Warm-up】Why Will the Father of Systems Biology and the Father of Metabolomics Attend the Forum?

Source:Original    Author:admin    Time:2018-08-15    View:29

On the afternoon of October 31, Pujiang Innovation Forum • The Future Science Forum themed “Promoting the Development in Human Phenome Research” will be held at DongJiao State Guest Hotel. Leroy E. Hood, Academician of American Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medical School, Founder and Director of the American Institute of Systems Biology; Jeremy Nicholson, Academician of the British Academy of Medical Sciences, Professor of Imperial College London, Founder of international system metabolomics; XU Tao,  Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Director of Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences; JIN Li, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Vice President of Fudan University; DING Chen, Researcher of Life Science Institute, Fudan University, will deliver keynote speeches. Why will “The Father of Systems Biology” and “The Father of Metabolomics” attend the forum to discuss the human phenome research together with the Chinese scientists?


Human Phenome Research is of Great Significance to Human Health


What is human phenome? According to JIN Li, from birth to growing to be an adult, to senility and to death, the collection of all of the features in the process is what we call a phenome. Phenome can be divided into 3 types. The first type is physical phenome, including the appearances and physique features; the second type is chemical phenome, including metabolin features, protein composition, and body fluids components; the third type is biological phenome, namely the functional category, including the running speed, arm strength, and specific competencies.


Hence one can see that the concept of human phenome has a rich connotation with a very extensive scope. “There is always a principal line for the research of life sciences.” JIN Li said that gene was on one side of the line, while on the other side, there were various features of human, including the composition rules of molecules, the various forms of cells, and the image information about organs, et. al. When the “Human Genome Project” was completed in 2001, the scientific world found that many diseases could not be overcome solely by interpreting the genetic code. Phenome gradually emerged as a research direction. DING Chen told the reporter that phenome was the result of the interaction between gene and the environment. Taking human height as a phenome example, how tall an adult would be depended both on his gene and the environment he has grown up in. If the principal line from the gene to the phenome could be fully studied, and the relationship between the links could be understood by the scientists, it would greatly benefit human health supervision, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of various diseases, and new drug development.


Actively Promote the City-level Major Science and Technology Special Projects in Shanghai


As human phenome research is of great importance, last November, “International Human Phenome Plan (Phase 1)” had been listed as one of the first batch of city-level major science and technology special projects by Shanghai Municipal People’s Government. The international plan aiming to interpret the life code of mankind will gather over a hundred domestic and foreign scientists to conduct cross-scope and multidimensional researches from physical, chemical, and biological layers into human phenome, to establish a platform for international human phenome research for the first time, formulate a standard technical system for the health phenome of Chinese people in an all-around way, and establish the first map and databank of the healthy people phenome in China, so as to serve the healthy China strategy.


At present, the city-level major special project is under active promotion. An administration building in Fudan University Zhangjiang Branch is being remodeled to a research base, and the set-up of the measurement facility platform is expected to be finished by this September. On that occasion, the scientific research team will conduct panoramic measurement for the 1,000 volunteers recruited successively, including measuring the 26 systems in 5 categories, including molecule, cell, image, function and mentality. Before taking the measurements, the volunteers must accept a medical test, and only the qualified people can accept the 3-day measurement. Afterwards, they will be tracked for 3 years, with a measurement once a year at least. In addition, other 10,000 volunteers will accept the directional measurement with fewer items. The data collected by the scientific research team will be used to establish the first map and databank of the healthy people phenome in China.


The special research also includes the establishment of a standard. According to DING Chen, the scientific research team has compiled 19,131 phenome entries with relevant standards having been formulated, and the number of entries will continue to increase. The meaning of the work is to standardize the whole process of collecting and analyzing human phenome, thus providing the scientific researchers of various countries participating in the international big science plan with a unified standard.


American and British Scientists Collaborate with Chinese Academicians in Promoting the Plan


The good news is that the two great scientists, Leroy E. Hood and Jeremy Nicholson, strongly support the “International Human Phenome Plan (Phase 1)”. They will deliver thematic speeches in Pujiang Innovation Forum • The Future Science Forum, and conduct in-depth communication with multiple Chinese academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences or the Chinese Academy of Engineering, to jointly promote the plan.


It is introduced that Hood is academician of the five American academies, and the most well-known advocate for “precision medicine”, while Nicholson is the director of National Phenome Centre UK. The participation of the two people will help the “International Human Phenome Plan (Phase 1)” launched by Shanghai gain global clout. Nicholson, who is honored “The Father of Metabolomics”, indicated that the human phenome research not only needed the concentration of the advantageous strengths of multiple disciplines, but more the great coordination of scientists from all over the world, for it was the common cause of mankind.


For more contents about “Promoting the Development in Human Phenome Research”, follow Pujiang Innovation Forum 2018.


Pujiang Innovation Forum 2018 is themed “Innovation-Driven Development and Supply-Side Structural Reform in a New Age”, and will be held from October 29 to November 1 in Shanghai. The forum will focus on issues including the revolution in quality, efficiency, and momentum promoted by scientific and technological innovation, to launch far-sighted, strategic and systematic discussions, by centering on special topics including the current conditions of the “innovation and entrepreneurship” ecology and unicorn enterprises, the construction of the leading area of innovation-driven development, the facilitation and integration of innovation policies, the development of the front-line science in the future, and the construction of “The Belt and Road”, among which, the industry forum will focus mainly on geriatric medicine, intelligent manufacturing, science and technology service industry, and energy internet, to launch in-depth discussions.


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