Soochow University: Thinking big to make a difference

2020 marks the 120th anniversary of the founding of Soochow University (SU) in Suzhou, People’s Republic of China. An interview with its president, Sidong Xiong, a biologist, outlines the university’s legacy, development strategy, vision and blueprint for future success.

Integrating research, education, and industrial application, Soochow University's nanoscience programme is forging a new model for exploiting potential.

A new national key laboratory at Soochow University, focusing on the biological effects and mechanisms of radiation and protection, is becoming a new driving force for the advancement of radiation medicine and protection.

Soochow University’s textile and clothing engineering programme has expanded its curriculum and research scope to reinvent textile technologies, fashion trends, and clothing standards.

Soochow University’s haematology programme has integrated basic and translational research with clinical care and talent training, advancing its progress as a world-class centre in the field.

Soochow University’s social sciences and humanities programmes have contributed to urban planning, culture, and aesthetics, to support unprecedented economic growth in the region.

Observation of the anisotropic propagation of polaritons along the surface of layered, semiconducting α-MoO₃ confirms the existence of this phenomenon in natural materials.

Cells in dense bacterial suspensions can self-organize into highly robust collective oscillatory motion, while individual cells move in an erratic manner; their interaction is modelled to reveal a weak synchronization mechanism.

Normalization of the tumour vasculature can improve immune effector cell infiltration, leading to immunotherapy potentiation. In this Opinion article, Huanget al. propose that reciprocal regulation between tumour vascular normalization and immune reprogramming forms a positive feedback loop that can induce durable antitumour immunity within the tumour microenvironment.

Intracellular detection of viral invasion triggers activation of the transcription factor IRF3 and antiviral interferon production. Fangfang Zhou and colleagues report that the transcription regulator YAP in the host restrains this process by preventing inadvertent spontaneous dimerization of IRF3 and its translocation to the nucleus.

The combination of systemic immune checkpoint inhibition with local administration of a hydrogel containing the enzyme catalase, a radioisotope and an immunostimulatory agent promotes effective antitumour immune responses in mice models.

Mesenchymal stem or stromal cells (MSCs) have attracted much attention for their ability to regulate inflammatory processes. Here, Shi et al. discuss current understanding of the immunomodulatory mechanisms of MSCs and issues related to their therapeutic application.

Vertically structured electronic synapses, which exhibit both short- and long-term plasticity, can be created using layered two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride.

The electroreduction of carbon dioxide to liquid products provides an appealing method to convert atmospheric carbon into valuable fuels. Here, the authors perform a topotactic transformation of bismuth oxyiodide to bismuth nanosheets that act as highly selective CO₂-to-formate electrocatalysts.

Selective para-functionalization of substituted arenes is a formidable challenge in homogeneous catalysis. Here, the authors achieved the para-selective C-H difluoromethylation of anilides, indolines and tetrahydroquinolines with a ruthenium catalyst in good yields and apply it to the synthesis of bioactive compounds.

While CO₂ removal will play a crucial role in limiting climate change, it is challenging to understand the factors that control materials’ selectivity to convert CO₂ to valuable products. Here, authors show copper and tin oxide interfaces to impact activities for CO₂ reduction products.

Noble metal nanoparticles are potential antibacterial agents, perhaps owing to their enzyme-like activities. Here, the authors find that the exposed facets of palladium nanocrystals demonstrate their specific antibacterial behavior against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

Direct removal of ⁹⁹TcO₄⁻ from highly radioactive and acidic nuclear waste solutions is beneficial for uranium and plutonium recovery and radioactive pollution control but this represents a huge challenge. Here the authors show a cationic polymeric network with high ⁹⁹TcO₄⁻ sorption capability and stability.