Institute of Biophysics
Encyclopedia
The Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
(CAS), focuses on basic research
in the life sciences. It was established in 1958, from the former Beijing Experimental Biology Institute founded in 1957. Professor Shizhang Bei, a renowned biologist and a distinguished CAS member, founded the Institute in 1958. Professor Tao Xu is the current Director-General.
The main research focus of the Institute is on the fields of protein science and brain & cognitive science
s. The Institute has two National Key Laboratories — “The National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules” and “The National Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences”. Establishment of the National Laboratory of Protein Science was given approval by China’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) in December 2006. Research in the field of protein science includes the following key areas: 3D-structure and function of proteins, bio-membranes and membrane protein
s, protein translation and folding, protein interaction networks, the molecular basis of infection and immunity, the molecular basis of sensation and cognition, protein and peptide drugs, and new techniques and methods in protein science research. Key research areas in brain and cognitive sciences include neural processes and mechanisms in complex cognition, expression of visual perception
and attention, neural mechanisms of perceptional information processing
, and dysfunction in brain cognition.
The Institute has received National Natural Science Foundation, ‘973’, ‘863’, CAS ‘Knowledge Innovation Program’ and other major research grants
, supporting outstanding research in a range of areas. The achievements of the Institute have established its position as a world leader at the cutting edge of the life sciences
. Achievements in terms of awards, publications, patents and applied research maintain the Institute at the highest level nationally. In research strength and standards the Institute is close to being a global leader in its field. It hosts an intensive course in macromolecular crystallography as a resource closely modeled on the course at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
on Long Island, USA, and involving both US and Chinese instructors.
The Biophysics Society of China is affiliated with the Institute. It takes responsibility for editing two core national natural science journals, namely Progress in Biochemistry & Biophysics and Acta Biophysica Sinica. Of these, Progress in Biochemistry & Biophysics is indexed in the SCI－E database. The institute has a library (1100 square meters) with 28,000 books, more than 33,000 journals, and 11 databases. Library users can use the internet to access about 2,500 foreign e-journals.
The Institute has a research team, with about 400 staff members, 500 graduate students
and 60 visiting scholars and post-docs. Within the scientific staff, there are 52 Principal Investigators and three technical specialists, of whom ten are members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
. 28 have received awards from the "100 Talents Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences" and 10 have received the "National Outstanding Young Scientists Award".
Chinese Academy of Sciences
The Chinese Academy of Sciences , formerly known as Academia Sinica, is the national academy for the natural sciences of the People's Republic of China. It is an institution of the State Council of China. It is headquartered in Beijing, with institutes all over the People's Republic of China...
(CAS), focuses on basic research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
in the life sciences. It was established in 1958, from the former Beijing Experimental Biology Institute founded in 1957. Professor Shizhang Bei, a renowned biologist and a distinguished CAS member, founded the Institute in 1958. Professor Tao Xu is the current Director-General.
The main research focus of the Institute is on the fields of protein science and brain & cognitive science
Cognitive science
Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary scientific study of mind and its processes. It examines what cognition is, what it does and how it works. It includes research on how information is processed , represented, and transformed in behaviour, nervous system or machine...
s. The Institute has two National Key Laboratories — “The National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules” and “The National Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences”. Establishment of the National Laboratory of Protein Science was given approval by China’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) in December 2006. Research in the field of protein science includes the following key areas: 3D-structure and function of proteins, bio-membranes and membrane protein
Membrane protein
A membrane protein is a protein molecule that is attached to, or associated with the membrane of a cell or an organelle. More than half of all proteins interact with membranes.-Function:...
s, protein translation and folding, protein interaction networks, the molecular basis of infection and immunity, the molecular basis of sensation and cognition, protein and peptide drugs, and new techniques and methods in protein science research. Key research areas in brain and cognitive sciences include neural processes and mechanisms in complex cognition, expression of visual perception
Visual perception
Visual perception is the ability to interpret information and surroundings from the effects of visible light reaching the eye. The resulting perception is also known as eyesight, sight, or vision...
and attention, neural mechanisms of perceptional information processing
Information processing
Information processing is the change of information in any manner detectable by an observer. As such, it is a process which describes everything which happens in the universe, from the falling of a rock to the printing of a text file from a digital computer system...
, and dysfunction in brain cognition.
The Institute has received National Natural Science Foundation, ‘973’, ‘863’, CAS ‘Knowledge Innovation Program’ and other major research grants
Research funding
Research funding is a term generally covering any funding for scientific research, in the areas of both "hard" science and technology and social science. The term often connotes funding obtained through a competitive process, in which potential research projects are evaluated and only the most...
, supporting outstanding research in a range of areas. The achievements of the Institute have established its position as a world leader at the cutting edge of the life sciences
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
. Achievements in terms of awards, publications, patents and applied research maintain the Institute at the highest level nationally. In research strength and standards the Institute is close to being a global leader in its field. It hosts an intensive course in macromolecular crystallography as a resource closely modeled on the course at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is a private, non-profit institution with research programs focusing on cancer, neurobiology, plant genetics, genomics and bioinformatics. The Laboratory has a broad educational mission, including the recently established Watson School of Biological Sciences. It...
on Long Island, USA, and involving both US and Chinese instructors.
The Biophysics Society of China is affiliated with the Institute. It takes responsibility for editing two core national natural science journals, namely Progress in Biochemistry & Biophysics and Acta Biophysica Sinica. Of these, Progress in Biochemistry & Biophysics is indexed in the SCI－E database. The institute has a library (1100 square meters) with 28,000 books, more than 33,000 journals, and 11 databases. Library users can use the internet to access about 2,500 foreign e-journals.
The Institute has a research team, with about 400 staff members, 500 graduate students
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
and 60 visiting scholars and post-docs. Within the scientific staff, there are 52 Principal Investigators and three technical specialists, of whom ten are members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Academy of Sciences
An Academy of Sciences is a national academy or another learned society dedicated to sciences.In non-English speaking countries, the range of academic fields of the members of a national Academy of Science often includes fields which would not normally be classed as "science" in English...
. 28 have received awards from the "100 Talents Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences" and 10 have received the "National Outstanding Young Scientists Award".