2004 Life Sciences Forum-Nobel Day held in Beijing

Source: Xinhua Published 2:15 PM, Sat July 17, 2004

Four Nobel Prize winners delivered academic presentations at the Great Hall of the People on July 17, discussing the current situation and trends of global life sciences and biotechnology research and development, as well as exploring strategies and measures to accelerate the development of biotechnology and industry.

Sponsored by China National Center for Biotechnology Development, The Life Sciences Forum-Nobel Day was held under the theme of "Strengthening Basic Innovation in Life Science, Developing Biological High-tech and Cultivating New Biological Industries". 6 Nobel Prize winners were invited to participate in this forum, among which 4 participated in the activity of "Nobel Day" and made academic presentations. "Nobel Day" activities, and make academic reports. Liu Yanhua, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology, said in his welcome speech that “life sciences and biotechnology have been developing rapidly in recent years, and China will promote international cooperation in the field of life sciences. In the near future, biotechnology will surely become a leading industry in the era of knowledge economy”.

Scholars and experts in the meeting.

Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, known as the "Father of Green Agriculture" and the only agricultural expert in the world to be awarded the Nobel Prize, gave a lecture on the relationship between the Green Revolution and the Gene Revolution, while Dr. Hartmut Michel, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1988 and was formerly the Director of the Institute of Biophysics of the Max Planck Society in Germany, gave a lecture on the impact of membrane proteins on the action of drugs. He gave a presentation on the influence of membrane proteins on drug action. Dr. Ferid Muard was awarded the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine for his discovery that Nitric Oxide induces cardiovascular dilation. He gave a presentation on the study of nitric oxide and the discovery of new drugs. Robert Huber, who shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Dr. Michel in 1988, has made outstanding contributions to the study of the three-dimensional spatial structure of the reaction center of photosynthesis. He spoke to the audience on protein degradation and other issues.

Nobel Laureates: Ferid Muard, Norman E. Borlaug, Torsten Nils Wiesel, Robert Huber with Chinese experts at the Great Hall of the People.

More than 1,000 representatives from various departments, institutes and universities in China attended the Nobel Day.

Wang Hongguang, Director of the China National Center for Biotechnology Development, said he hoped that the Nobel Laureate's wonderful report would inspire Chinese scientists to make new contributions in the field of life sciences.

Wang Hongguang speaks at the Life Sciences Forum-Nobel Laureate Day.