Fudan sets new scientific standards

International cooperation

Fudan's research strength in the field of human phenomes is the epitome of the prestigious school's role in international academic and research cooperation today. From participant and follower, Fudan, which is one of the country's top institutions of higher education, has grown in power across disciplines, to become a leader in the area of joint studies.

It also demonstrates that the university's sustained efforts to open up and enhanced capacity for global collaboration have reaped results, according to scholars.

The International Human Phenome Project, which was launched by scholars including Jin Li, president of Fudan University, is expected to play an important role in promoting the development of precision medicine, improving the accuracy of diagnosis, promoting the research and development of new drugs, and in analyzing the history of human evolution.

The second phase of the project was launched in November 2023. Ten academicians and some 400 scholars and experts from China and abroad attended the launch event.

A Human Phenome Atlas showing the associations between more than 1.5 million phenotypes, most of which had been newly discovered by scientists, was compiled during the first phase of the project between 2018 and 2022. It provides key clues to deciphering the causality and mechanisms between phenotypes and life phenomena, such as disease and aging.

In the second phase, a more complete map will be compiled, and scientists will conduct substantive, collaborative research in order to answer key queries around the phenotype and its regulatory mechanism, which is at the core of the mystery of life and health.

"We really need an Asian country to lead in life science instead of counting on Western countries, as human diversity is huge, and the data collected in research programs should not be limited to Western people only," says Hoh Boon Peng, a professor at the International Medical University Malaysia.

Another example of Fudan's strength in leading international research is establishment of the first international center of excellence, or ICoE, on the Chinese mainland by Integrated Research on Disaster Risk, a global research program created by the International Science Council and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.