Tianjin University's research achievement among 2017 'Top Ten Scientific Advances in China'

On Feb 27, the outcome of the Meeting of Experts on the 2017 Top Ten Scientific Advances in China election organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) was announced in Beijing.

Tianjin University was recognized for the synthesis of redesigned yeast chromosomes project led by Yuan Yingjin, a professor from the School of Chemical Engineering and Technology.

The Meeting of Experts on the 2017 Top Ten Scientific Advances in China is held in Beijing. [Photo provided to exploringtianjin.com]

Sponsored by MOST's High-Tech Research and Development Center, the selection of the year's top 10 scientific advances has been successfully held 13 times.

It aims to boost publicity for China's major scientific advances in basic research, motivate science and technology workers, popularize knowledge about fundamental science, enable the public to better understand, value, and support basic research, and create a sound social climate for science.

The scope of the 2017 selection included 270 research advances recommended by the editorial departments of five journals: China Basic Science, Science and Technology Review, Bulletin of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bulletin of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Chinese Science Bulletin.

The whole process consisted of three phases: recommendations, primary selection, and final selection. Ten projects were finally selected as the most important scientific advances of China in 2017.

Since its first congregation in 2005, the Meeting of Experts on the 2017 Top Ten Scientific Advances in China has been a brand for science and technology and highly recognized by experts and scholars. This year's award was the first to a Tianjin institution.

TJU's Synthetic Biology Team invented a rapid mapping method for genomic defect targets and precise repair techniques for co-transformation of multiple target fragments and also constructed an artificial ring of chromosomes, which overcame significant obstacles in this field.

Genome design and synthesis means a rebuilding of the genome. It can shape life as needed, open the door to transform from non-living material to living material, and promote life science research from understanding life to creating life. Genome design and synthesis provide new ideas for deepening understanding of fundamental scientific issues such as the evolution of life and the relationship between genomics and cellular function.

Yuan Yingjin (L) receives the certificate. [Photo provided to exploringtianjin.com]

As an important model organism of eukaryotes, chemical synthesis of yeast can help humans to understand some basic biology problems.

Yuan Yingjin said the team has established precise control of genomic rearrangements, developed a rapid evolutionary approach to the strain, tapped into a number of key genes and pathways associated with important production performance, and obtained several highly productive strains that can be applied in medicine, energy, environmental issues, agriculture, industry, and other fields.