China is mapping out development strategies for gene research
in the coming five years, sources with the Chinese Academy of
Sciences (CAS) said Thursday.
The sources, who
declined to be identified, said that priorities are to be
given to the research on human functional genes which have
great bearing on the birth, aging, illness and death of human
beings, and the research on sequencing of the genome of biological
resources which are especially vital to China.
The CAS official
disclosed that the Ministry of Science and Technology has
drafted a plan on biotechnology research in the next five
years. The draft plan has been presented to experts for deliberation.
China will, in
the future, devote massive manpower and material resources
to the research of human functional genes, with the aim of
exploring the pathogenesis of fatal diseases and find out
the best ways to treat them, according to the official.
Chinese scientists
will also continue to use the information obtained by the
Human Genome Project in their research of the evolution process
of the Chinese nation, and even the whole mankind.
It is predicted
that China will continue with the research on and sequencing
of the genome of a dozen key biological resources, including
wild rice, rape and pigs, to improve the quality of these
crops and domestic animals.
CAS Academician
Chen Zhu, who made outstanding contributions to the human
genome research, said that China, as a developing country
which boasts rich human genetic resources, should attach great
importance to the research of human functional genes and nosogenic
genes, and make it the most important task of China's human
genome research.
Chen was appointed
vice president of the CAS at the end of last year to lead
CAS conducting biological research.
Doctor Han Zeguang,
with the Nanfang Center under the National Human Genome Project,
said that they and the biology center of the Peking University
are considering launching structural biology research, so
as to analyze the three-dimensional structure of protein.
(People's Daily 02/16/2001)
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