Month: October 2013

A revision led by MOST and reported to the NPC Standing Committee by the Minister of Finance showed that a significant part of the national science budget may have been misused. Whereas the budget grew by an average annual increase of 28 % over the past 7 years, that parts oft he budget were used for personal purchases, unrelated travel etc. The main reason is thought to be the lack of standards in project and budget control. The findings are hotly debated in the public and will lead to changes in budget distribution and management. China Bio news release, Oct. 31, 2013

Within the National Talent Program of China („million people plan“ and „thousand people plan“), discussions are on to establish a „Future Nobel laureates“ program. First steps have already been explored since September 2012. The plan calls for screening and support of 2000 young talents under 35, 8000 talents of all ages and 100 „world class“ intellectuals who would receive up to 10 million Yuan support per person. People’s Daily, Oct. 31, 2013

The dolphin (Lipotes vixellifer), dubbed „Giant Panda of the rivers“, is close to extinction, due to river warming and pollution. It is hoped that molecular biology may contribute to long-term conservation. China Bio news release, October 31, 2013

Based on IP of CAS, e. g. on a 2D CCD camera, Purple Xin Pharmaceuticals, a Ginseng-based company, will diversify into sequencer manufacturing through ist Jilin subsidiary Zhongke Zixin. China Bio news release, October 30, 2013

CNGB, located in Shenzhen, has announced that they have chosen BioStorage Technologies as their partner for the development oft he world’s largest genomic biobank. CNGB integrates an „omics“ database and a large-scale biorepository consisting of 30 million biological samples of human, animal, plant and microbioal origin. BGI press release, Oct. 29, 2013

Located in Chongzuo Industrial Park, Guangxi Province, the company produces yeast with molasses as C-source. Chongzuo is a famous place for sugar production. China Industrial Biotechnology Network, October 29, 2013

The planned output is 100.000 t/y, in line with EPU 14214 standard biodiesel. President of the 165 million USD investment company is Mr Abdulla Saif. China Industrial Biotechnology Network, Oct. 29, 2013

Based on the resequencing of 115 cucumber strains, a genomic variation map provides insights into the genetic basis of cucumber domestication and diversity Jianjian Qi et al., Nature Genetics, doi:10.1038/ng.2801

The subsidiary of BGI headquarters in Shenzhen has over 100 genome sequencers and a cloud computing platform. It is dedicated to the genetic service-related industries such as prenatal diagnosis, personal genetic risk assessment, the pharmaceutical industry, anti-cancer drug screening, and personal health spectrum checks. BGI press release, Occtober 28, 2013

Comparing the genome of Tibetan wild boar with those of neighboring Chinese domestic pigs showed the impact of thousands of years of artificial selection and different signatures of selection in wild boar and domestic pig. Genetic adaptations in Tibetan wild boar are associated with high altitudes and characterize the genetic basis of increased salivation in domestic pig. Mingzhou LI et al., Nature Genetics, doi:10.1038/ng.2811