On November 02, 2023, the opening defense of postdoctoral fellow Dr. Zheng Ran — jointly trained by the Postdoctoral Workstation of the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Postdoctoral Innovation Practice Base of Shenzhen Beike Biotechnology Co., Ltd. — was successfully held.
The defense committee was composed of mobile-station mentor Researcher Zhang Jian of the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; practice-base mentor Professor Cai Cheguo of Shenzhen Beike Biotechnology Co., Ltd.; Professor Jiang Wei of the Wuhan University Medical Research Institute; and Associate Researchers Qin Xuan and Xie Nan of Fuwai Hospital Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Professor Jiang Wei chaired the review panel.
Dr. Zheng Ran's postdoctoral research project is titled "Early Pluripotency and Directed Differentiation of Pancreatic Islet Cells". At the defense, Dr. Zheng Ran provided a detailed report on the background of the topic, the current state of the field, the research approach, methods, and expected outcomes. The plan is to carry out research on a new type of directed differentiation of pluripotent stem cells into pancreatic islet beta cells, with the main goal of establishing induced pluripotent stem cells without differentiation bias. In the process, the pluripotency state of cells will be continuously examined, the differentiation efficiency and function under different pluripotency states compared, and combined with optimization of the differentiation protocols, a new method for obtaining pancreatic islet beta cells will be established, with a view to providing new approaches for diabetes.
Dr. Zheng Ran's opening report — clearly structured and substantive — received unanimous affirmation and support from the review panel members. Members of the panel held in-depth discussions on Dr. Zheng's research and offered numerous valuable suggestions on its innovativeness, feasibility, and expected outcomes. After review and discussion, the panel unanimously affirmed the rationale and research significance of the opening report and approved the project.
After the opening defense, panel chair Professor Jiang Wei expressed his expectations for Dr. Zheng Ran's time at the workstation, hoping that — through her postdoctoral research and by drawing on the advantageous resources of the postdoctoral workstation and innovation practice base, combined with Beike Biotech's many years of experience in the cell field — she will rationally design industrial application scenarios and pathways for the project, better translate basic research into clinical applications, and provide new pathways and solutions for the treatment of refractory diseases such as diabetes.
Beike Biotech's Chief Scientist and Postdoctoral Innovation Practice Base mentor Professor Cai Cheguo said that Beike Biotech has continuously been reforming and innovating in talent training mechanisms, scientific research and innovation, and funding investment, and has accordingly entered a period of accelerated talent growth. Beike Biotech's Postdoctoral Innovation Practice Base aims to build first-class core competitiveness in industry talent and innovation capability. Leveraging research and innovation platforms with new models, mechanisms, and forms, it provides strong talent guarantees and intellectual support for the company's development. To date, 4 doctors have entered Beike Biotech's Postdoctoral Innovation Practice Base, providing strong technological support for the company's talent development and the translation of scientific research outcomes.
Dr. Zheng Ran
received her doctorate from Wuhan University, where her main research direction was stem cell biology. During her doctoral studies, she received numerous awards including the National Scholarship and the Outstanding Postgraduate award, and her research has been published in international journals such as Stem Cell Reports.
—— Beike Biotech Postdoctoral Innovation Practice Base ——
Beike Biotech's Postdoctoral Innovation Practice Base was approved by the Shenzhen Human Resources and Social Security Bureau in 2013 and was one of 27 "Postdoctoral Innovation Practice Base" units designated by Shenzhen that year.
Shenzhen's postdoctoral innovation practice base initiative began in 1995, with high-tech enterprises as the main host organizations, selecting leading enterprises in various fields. As a leader in its sub-sector, Beike Biotech's establishment of a postdoctoral innovation practice base in the cell field reflects our scientific research level and our capability for the translation of innovative scientific and technological achievements in the life sciences. Going forward, in line with relevant policies and requirements, we will continue to recruit and train postdoctoral researchers, building a bridge between high-tech talent and enterprises, accelerating the translation and industrialization of high-tech achievements, and achieving seamless integration of "industry, academia, and research".
