The Department of Neurobiology
Department of Neurobiology was established in 2000 with the return of oversea scholars lead by Dr Piu Chan, consisting of several research groups, led by well trained senior researchers with overseas study experiences. The major direction of the department is neurodegenerative diseases, with special focus on Parkinson's disease. Systemic studies on Parkinson's disease have been conducted in the department, which involve the etiology, pathogenesis, early diagnosis, and treatment. Now the department have become a China’s leading and internationally known laboratory in the field of Parkinson's disease.
Since established, the Department has obtained supports from grants and funds, including the National Basic Research Program (“973” Program), the National High Technology Research and Development Program (“863” Program), the National Special Fund for "Dug Discovery" of Ministry of Science and Technology; the Natural Science Foundation of China, the Industry Fund of Ministry of Health, the Key Project of Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission, the Natural Science Foundation of Beijing, and the Micheal J Fox Foundation of US. In particular, the department is the principle investigator and major participants of the National High Technology Research and Development Program (“863” Program) of China and the National Basic Research Program (“973” Program) of China during the periods of the 11th and 12th Five-Year Plans. The department has established the national multicenter Parkinson's patients consortia, Beijing Longitudinal Study on Aging community elderly prospective cohort, and the largest sample bank for Parkinson's disease in the world. In addition, the department has set up several platforms for basic and clinical research, including the Nonhuman Primate Experimental Center in Nanning, the laboratory for production of monoclonal antibodies, the Telemedicine platform, and the special laboratory for clinical examination of movement disorders.
With the aid of the above platforms, laboratories and resources, the department has conducted systemic research on the epidemiology, molecular genetics, pathogenesis, early diagnosis, and neuroprotective therapy of Parkinson's disease. These studies have produced important results in the field of Parkinson's disease. In particular, the depiction of the distribution of risk gene mutation and variants associated with Parkinson's disease and the establishment of comprehensive system for early diagnosis based on genes, proteins, non-motor symptoms, and functional and molecular neuroimages will impact the clinic practice and services of Parkinson's disease. More than 359 papers have been published in Department of Neurobiology, among which, 166 are SCI papers, with the total impact factor of 499.9, and the total citation number of 2445. First prize was awarded to the department by Beijing Municipal Commission of Science and Technology, and China Medical Scientific Award. In addition, 15 patents have been authorized and quite few of them have been transferred to companies, and more than 100 doctoral and master degree students have graduated from the department.
The department has established extensive collaborations with foreign universities, such as the Parkinson's Institute (USA), Yale University (USA), University of California Los Angeles (USA), Tokyo Institute of Psychiatry (Japan), La Sapienza University of Rome, and Neuroinstitute of McGill University (Canada). In addition, the department is actively collaborating with clinical departments of Xuanwu Hospital and other domestic hospitals. These collaborations have greatly increased the levels of research and the efficiency of the translation from basic to clinical medicine.
Except research works, Department of Neurobiology has contributed significantly to the development of Beijing Geriatrics Research & Clinical Center and Xuanwu Hospital in many other ways. The department is the host and organizer of Innovative Team of Ministry of Education, Beijing Key Laboratory for Parkinson's disease, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders Parkinson’s Disease Center, and Clinical and Research Center for Parkinson’s Disease of the Capital Medical University. It is also the key participant for the National Center of Clinical Research on Geriatric Disorders, and the Key Laboratory on Neurodegenerative Diseases of the Ministry of Education. In addition, the department has hosted several international symposiums focusing on Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders and organized the annual Parkinson's disease training class. Most of all, the department has participated in the collaborative R&D of Research kit based on Intelligent Medical Platform of the American Apple Inc. As the only representative from Asia, the department participated in the development of the “Clinical Diagnostic Criteria for Parkinson’s disease” and “Research Diagnostic Criteria for the Prodromal Parkinson’s Disease” of the International Movement Disorders Society. This collaboration has greatly increased the popularity of Xuanwu Hospital.
With the efforts of all staff, Department of Neurobiology has achieved great research results. The department plans to realize the translation of these research results to clinical uses by collaborating with clinical departments, making it a leading laboratory in the world in the fields of mobile medicine and precision medicine.
