On December 10, the Research Institute of Transplant Medicine, jointly established by NKU and Tianjin First Central Hospital, was inaugurated.

The Research Institute aims to give full play to the technical and resource advantages of Tianjin First Central Hospital, the largest organ transplant center in Asia, as well as the discipline advantages and research strength of NKU in immunology, microbiology, oncology, physiology, and epidemiology, focus on the frontier issues of transplantation medicine, and create an open innovation platform to bring together national and international top expert teams to carry out joint research, promote the in-depth integration between clinical medicine and basic scientific research, and play a leading role to accelerate the development of medical education innovation and enhance the comprehensive capabilities and international status of China’s transplantation medicine.

Cao Xuetao, an academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering and President of NKU, Rao Zihe, an academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chairman of Tianjin Science and Technology Association, Yan Hua, President of Tianjin Medical University and Dean of Nankai University School of Medicine, and Shen Zhongyang, President of Tianjin First Central Hospital attended the inauguration ceremony held in the Tianjin First Central Hospital and unveiled the nameplate of the Research Institute.

Shen Zhongyang was appointed as the dean of the Research Institute of Transplant Medicine, and Cao Xuetao presented the letter of appointment to Shen Zhongyang.

On the same day, many experts and scholars attended the inauguration ceremony and witnessed the establishment of the Research Institute, including Hu Shengshou, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Director of the National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases (NCCD), and President of Fuwai Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Dong Jiahong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Dean of the Tsinghua University Clinical School of Medicine, Chen Zhinan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Director of the National Center for Molecular Medicine and Translational Science of the Air Force Military Medical University of PLA, Zhang Yingze, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Double-appointed Academician of NKU, Chen Jun, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Vice President of NKU, Kuang Dan, Director of Tianjin First Central Hospital, Zhu Siwei, Director of Tianjin Union Medical Center and Dean of the Institute of Translational Medicine, Gao Hengjun, Director of Shanghai National Engineering Research Center for Biochips, Liu Zhongmin, President of East Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University, Cheng Tao, Director and President of the Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and Zhu Yongqun, Professor of Institute of Life Sciences of Zhejiang University. The inauguration ceremony was presided over by Wang Lei, Vice President of NKU.

After the inauguration ceremony, the Transplantation Medicine Summit Forum was held. Academic reports themed “Research on the Structure of SARS-CoV-2”, “Xenotransplantation of Organs - Reignites the New Hope of Donor Sources”, “Precision Surgery”, “Prospect of New Strategies for the Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19”, “The Dialectical Relationship between Discovery and Invention to Promote the Advancement of Natural Science”, “Regeneration of Hematopoietic Stem Cells”, “Standardization of National Biobanks - The Cornerstone of the CBDTM Model in the Construction of the Discipline of Organ Transplantation”, “Research on Promoting Vascularization in the Tissue Regeneration and Organ Repair”, “Progress in Basic Research on Liver Regeneration and Repair for Small-for-size Syndrome (SFSS)”, “Hot Issues of Transplantation immunity” and “Tolerance From Induction of Allograft Chimerism” were separately delivered by Rao Zihe, Hu Shengshou, Dong Jiahong, Chen Zhinan, Zhang Yingze, Cheng Tao, Gao Hengjun, Professor Kong Deling from the School of Life Sciences, Tian Yinghua, Head of Microsurgery of University Hospital of Zurich, Li Xianchang, Director of the Immunobiology & Transplant Science Center, Houston Methodist Hospital, Texas Medical Center, and full-time professor at Cornell University, and Sun Zhaoli, Director of the Transplant Biology Research Center at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.