Ground-Breaking Ceremony for Chinese Academy of Sciences' Genetic Resources R&D Center (South) Project Held in Changzhou Hi-Tech District

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CHANGZHOU, China, May 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- A ground-breaking ceremony for the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Genetic Resources R&D Center (South) Project undertaken jointly by the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the CAS, the Changzhou Municipal Government and the Administrative Committee of Changzhou Hi-Tech District with a total investment of approximately RMB2 billion was held at Life and Health Industrial Park in Changzhou Hi-Tech District on May 18. CAS vice president Zhang Yaping and Jiangsu Province vice governor Xu Nanping were among the attendees.

The project involves two bases - Modern Agricultural Base and Regenerative Medicine Base. There are five platforms including the Shennong Institute for Traditional Medicine Platform, the Clinical-grade Stem Cell Bank Platform, the Advanced Animal Platform, the Seed Bank Platform, and the Education and Training Platform. Upon completion, it will become a best-in-class research center for molecular breeding, a designated national food safety testing and certification center, a leading tissue engineering research center and a genetic testing technology research center for genetic diseases in China.  This will help promote the rapid development of the life sciences and healthcare sectors as well as the modernizing of agriculture in Changzhou.

The facility is scheduled to be built in two phases. Phase 1, lab buildings for modern agriculture and regenerative medicine, buildings for commercialization and scientific and technological exchanges, and apartments for consultants and advisors will be built in 2015. As for phase 2, the construction of analysis and testing platforms, an animal testing center, equipment for traditional Chinese medicine, and buildings for genetic counseling as well as for diagnostics and treatment, will start in 2017.

The Regenerative Medicine Base will focus on the commercialization and adoption of achievements in stem cell regenerative medicine to build a leading tissue engineering research center and a leading genetic testing technology research center for genetic diseases in China.  The animal testing center will conduct preclinical studies through animal experiments. 

The Modern Agricultural Base will give its top priority to such crop issues as higher-than-permissible-standards of heavy metals, imbalance of nutritional content, lack of beneficial elements, higher-than-permissible-standards of nitrate, poor overall quality, and low levels of production. On the other hand, as part of the national pilot project of Designer Breeding by Molecular Modules during the 13th Five-Year Plan in China, focus will be placed on enhancing the production and quality of rice, wheat, corn, soybeans and fish and on producing defensins and high value-added medical products by leveraging bioreactors.

In the future, the project will leverage CAS' expertise in scientific and technological R&D to drive regional economic development, form an ecosystem of regenerative medicine and modern agriculture, facilitate the IPOs of technology companies and strive to achieve RMB3 billion in sales of hi-tech products per annum on average.

Changzhou Hi-Tech District is now home to 328 R&D facilities covering a wide range of industries, with the research and development being undertaken accounting for 98% of the types of R&D normally undertaken by medium and large-sized companies.

SOURCE The Public Promotion Department of Changzhou Xinbei District Commission of CCP