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The University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) has forged an excellent reputation for basic research in physical sciences. Now it is integrating those strengths to develop exciting cross-disciplinary innovations.

To forge ahead in biological and biomedical science at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), in 2017, a brand new Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine was established. It includes the School of Life Sciences and the newly merged USTC’s first affiliated hospital, the former Anhui Provincial Hospital, which is an impressive 5,000-plus bed facility treating 3.7 million outpatients every year. Tackling a wave of ‘New Medicine’ is the focus of this fresh interdisciplinary initiative at USTC.

The challenge of ensuring food security for China’s growing population comes with the responsibility of caring with the environment at the same time. The vast increases in crop production made possible through the work of Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU) horticulturists and crop researchers will be essential to feeding China’s population.

As collaborations increase between geographically widespread groups, working practices need to keep pace

Ultrafast laser processing offers the promise of precision fabrication using light alone.

The penetration depth of traditional confocal laser-scanning microscopy (LSM) systems is limited by light scattering. To avoid these limitations, multiphoton LSM uses a nonlinear fluorophore excitation process in combination with a non-descanned detection concept to greatly increase the penetration depth. However, in traditional multiphoton LSM, this increased depth necessitates a compromise on the achievable spatial resolution and signal-to-noise compared with that of confocal LSM. The novel Airyscan detection concept from ZEISS, used in combination with multiphoton excitation, overcomes these limitations and provides increased resolution and signal-to-noise with a 2–3× increase in penetration depth compared with that of traditional confocal LSM.

A conversation with Tal Zaks, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Moderna

Scientists and suppliers are embracing strategies to improve the performance of research antibodies and tackle the reproducibility crisis.

The animal science programme at Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU), started in 1898 and was the first national education platform on animal husbandry. It now encompasses genetics and breeding, nutrition and feed science, production and husbandry engineering, as well as the rearing of animals specifically for commercial use. In its 120 years of development, the programme has been integral to China’s animal production industry, innovating technologies to respond to international challenges.

Reaping the benefits of HZAU’s agricultural expertise

A conversation with Björn Kjerkve, Chancellor, American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates is based on the US style of higher education. The University, founded in 1997, provides English language undergraduate and postgraduate teaching to some 5,600 students — half of them in its College of Engineering. Located just 12 miles from Dubai’s international airport, students come from around one hundred countries; the majority are from the Middle East, but there are also people from Asia and North America. Björn Kjerfve joined the university in 2014, having previously been the president of the World Maritime University in Malmö, Sweden.

Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU), located in Wuhan, the capital of central China’s Hubei Province, is a national key university. Starting life as the Hupeh Agricultural College founded in 1898 by Zhang Zhidong, the viceroy of Hubei and Hunan in the Qing dynasty, HZAU is a leading light for higher education in agriculture. These days, as a research university focused on agricultural and life sciences, HZAU has a balanced range of disciplines. Dedicated to higher education, research and social service, HZAU seeks to meet sustainable development goals with advanced agricultural research and technologies. Here, Deng Xiuxin, HZAU’s president, outlines its vision.

This year’s award ceremony took place at the EMBL Advanced Training Centre in Heidelberg, Germany, on 21 June 2018. Science writer Geoff Marsh talks to the 2018 winner Andrea Ablasser, Assistant Professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Switzerland, about her contributions to a key step in the innate immune response, which triggers a frontline defense when cells are attacked by microorganisms.

Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU) is one of China’s oldest schools of modern agriculture. With roots in the Hupeh Agricultural College, founded in 1898, it marked the beginning of China’s forays into higher education in agriculture and has been a leader in the field for 120 years.

As researchers rush to investigate the therapeutic benefits of cannabis, a lab tool long used by natural product chemists has found a new application.

As flow cytometry has improved in capability and precision, its applicability to immunologists and cancer researchers has grown quickly. The best is yet to come.

As histone methyltransferase inhibitors advance through clinical trials, researchers accelerate the search for other epigenetic drug targets.

A conversation with Professor Andrew Cuthbertson AO, Chief Scientific Officer & Global R&D Director, CSL Limited. For seven years, Melbourne has been rated the world’s most liveable city. It has vibrant community spaces and great beaches, and is famous for its arts and sports scenes. It also offers world-class healthcare and education. The state of Victoria leads Australia in health and medical research, engineering, digital technology, cyber security and gaming, agriculture and food production. Here, Andrew Cuthbertson outlines why CSL, a world-leading biotech firm and Australia’s sixth largest company, is based in Melbourne.

Indiana University's Precision Health Initiative has the resources and patient base to tackle common cancers, and wants more researchers to join the fight.

A conversation with Craig Johnstone, Global Head, Integrated Drug Discovery, Evotec. Evotec provides a full range of services to foundations, charities, biotech and pharmaceutical companies, from early drug target identification and validation through hit-finding and molecular optimisation to clinical translation. In August 2017, the company acquired Aptuit, a company with drug discovery, development and manufacturing expertise. Following the acquisition, Evotec launched INDiGO, a system to bring drug candidates from discovery to the point of filing an Investigational New Drug (IND) application.