Recently, the research group of Dr. Liu Jian from Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute (ZJE) published a review article titled “Neutrophils in Cancer: Dual Roles through Intercellular Interactions” in Oncogene, a classic oncology journal of the Nature Publishing Group (SCI Q1). Dr. Jian Liu is the corresponding author of this article. Undergraduate student Xinyu Yu from ZJE is the first author. The article elucidates the dual roles of neutrophils in the tumor microenvironment (TME) from the perspective of cell-cell interactions and summarizes two therapeutic strategies targeting the anti-tumor and pro-tumor abilities of neutrophils. Access to the publication: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41388-024-03004-5。As the first author of the article, Xinyin Yu entered Jian Liu's lab for research training early in her undergraduate studies. At the first meeting in the lab, she listened to her senior sister's systematic report on the topic of neutrophils, from which she learned that in the context of tumours, neutrophils have two sides: they can both suppress and promote cancer development. This started her path of learning and researching about neutrophils. Through long-term knowledge accumulation, nearly half a year of writing and repeated revisions, the article was finally published. Looking back on her journey, Yu feels that the training of students' scientific writing ability in the ZJE and the help of professors and siblings to her are all indispensable factors for the publication of the article.This was my first encounter with knowledge beyond textbooks, and the discovery did not align with my understanding of neutrophils. I was shocked and intrigued, "Could the body's own immune cells actually promote tumor development?" After the meeting, I researched related materials and followed many relevant WeChat accounts, gradually learning about many cutting-edge discoveries through their posts. Given my interest, I chose literature on cancer-related neutrophils for the lab's monthly article recommendations, accumulating considerable knowledge over time. Later, a casual conversation with a senior inspired me to write a review article. Considering my familiarity with the field and the ample time in my freshman year, and ZJE's emphasis on training students' research writing skills (having written several small essays before), I started writing the article with Professor Liu's support after receiving his encouragement.I began writing in June during my freshman summer vacation and completed the text in August. The article was submitted in November and accepted in March of the following year. This period was incredibly meaningful for me. In June, on a green train from Chongqing to Beijing, I couldn't get a sleeper ticket and had to sit for 18 hours. Unable to sleep, I spent the night writing the article's framework and organizing the hundreds of references I had collected. Given the considerable workload, I complained more than once to my labmates, "I never want to write a review again in my life," but I persevered with their encouragement and help. During the National Day holiday, I chose to stay at the North Campus to meticulously create the figures for the paper, spending an entire day on each figure. Before submission, Professor Liu and my seniors patiently helped me review and revise the article. Fortunately, the article was eventually published in Oncogene, an outcome I had never imagined before the review process.I sincerely thank Professor Liu for his consistent support, my labmates for their patience and help, and the research group for educating and training me. I am fortunate to be at ZJE, where the liberal environment and rich educational resources have given me the opportunity to engage closely with scientific research.As a member of the ZJEers, Yu has realised ZJE's talent cultivation model of "whole-person training, global immersion and whole-chain practice". ZJE will continue to provide a fertile ground for future leaders in the medical field and cultivate the international talents needed for the development of the world's medical and healthcare industry.About Jian Liu’s labJian Liu's group is now interested in investigating lung squamous cell carcinoma development and treatment using genetic mouse models and AI+ multi-omics, especially the research direction on cancer immunology and the 3D genome. He has published over 50 papers, including publications in the past three years, as a co-corresponding author in Nature Communications, Advanced Science, Oncogene, Molecular Oncology, and Frontiers in Immunology journals. Moreover, his lab developed a multi-omics web database Omics3D (http://omics3d.net/) to investigate the de novo functional genome during cancer development.Email:JianL@intl.zju.edu.cnJian Liu’s lab (https://person.zju.edu.cn/liujian) is recruiting postdoc and Ph.D. students, including the single degree from the University of Edinburgh

Recently, the China-Scotland Business Awards were announced and presented at the Chinese Burns Supper held by the China-Britain Business Council (CBBC). Zhejiang University- University of Edinburgh Institute (ZJE) was named ‘Educational Partnership of the Year’ Award. Professor Sue Welburn, executive dean ZJU-UoE Institute, received the award. The China-Britain Business Council (CBBC), founded in 1954, is the UK’s national business network promoting trade and investment with China. Since 2018, the council has established the China-Scotland Business Awards. This award is the only business award in Scotland that focuses on China, receiving high attention from the Chinese Embassy in the UK and the Chinese Consulate General in Edinburgh. Source: The China-Britain Business Council；International Campus, Zhejiang UniversityPhoto: The China-Britain Business Council

On 17th January 2024, the ACT Series Lecture: PhD Interview Experience Sharing Meeting came as scheduled. ZJE Principle Investigators, doctoral supervisors, Yuan Yuan and Yinhua Jin, were invited to share their overseas PhD Interview tips.Two professors shared the frequently occurring questions and key answer points in PhD interviews with students, providing valuable reference experience for students.During Q&A session, students engaged in active interaction with two professors. Prof Yuan and Prof Jin also encouraged students to actively leverage the advantages of the ZJE training model, gradually accumulate and prepare carefully in daily learning, plan early according to their own goals!

On 16th January, 2024, the Zhejiang University Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education Work Summary and Exchange Meeting was held at the Qiu Shi Lecture Hall in Zijingang campus. The meeting summarized the innovation and entrepreneurship education work of Zhejiang University for 2023, and awarded the third batch of the Education Centre of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, ZJU and the University-Institute Joint Laboratory of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 2023. CHEN Di, the Executive Director of the ZJE Biomed-X Laboratory, attended the meeting on behalf of the laboratory to accept the award. The Biomed-X Laboratory was established in August 2022, with the aim of fostering innovation and entrepreneurship teams and promoting interdisciplinary integration. Since its establishment, the laboratory has provided space and equipments to support students in conducting experiments, hosting seminars, and building teams. It has also provided academic, technical, and competition guidance through organizing special lectures, theme exchange and sharing meetings, etc. Biomed-X Laboratory has been supporting students to carry out scientific research and stimulating domestic and international competitions. Being awarded is not only a recognition of the achievement by Biomed-X Laboratory, but also a motivation for the future breakthrough. The laboratory will summarize the past and make the future by promoting hardware and software construction, opening up more laboratory space, enriching cultivation methods, focusing on team building, stimulating innovation and entrepreneurship passion through competitions, strengthening the in-depth integration with undergraduate education, and fully leveraging the advantages of ZJE's integrated East-West talent cultivation model.  At the meeting, ZHU Hui, the Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Zhejiang University, delivered a speech and deployed the work focus for 2024 from four aspects: improving the education system, serving the major strategic layout, building a service guarantee platform, and promoting the combination of industry, academia, and research. RUAN Junhua, the Executive Vice Dean of the School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, ZJU, presented the annual work report. XIE Xiaoyun, the Vice Dean of the School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, ZJU and Executive Vice Dean of the School of Management, ZJU, delivered a speech. The representatives of Education Center and University-Institute Joint Laboratory, and student representatives gave presentations to share their work and experiences.

Teachers and students from the Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute meticulously planned an inspiring training trip from 10th to 12th January 2024. The purpose of this trip was to allow the teachers and students to deeply explore the history of Zhejiang University's westward relocation, trace the cultural lineage of biomedicine, and imbibe the unparalleled spirit of pragmatism from it.Amidst historical relics, teachers and students felt the hardships and resilience of Zhejiang University during the wartime. They witnessed how President Zhu Kezhen safeguarded academic order and supported progressive teachers and students in special period.On 12th January, the teachers and students further explored the history of Zhejiang University's westward relocation in Meitan County, visiting the Confucian Temple, the Catholic Church, the Wanshou Palace, and the Yongxing Ancient Town. The Meitan Confucian Temple has now become the Zhejiang University Westward Relocation History Museum, displaying the arduous journey and academic achievements of Zhejiang University's teachers and students during the special period. In Yongxing Ancient Town, the teachers and students felt the patriotic spirit and the profound friendship of Zhejiang University's teachers and students with the local people.This training was not only a historical retrospection but also a reverent acknowledgement and continuation of our predecessors' academic heritage and earnest spirit. Carrying this legacy, they are committed to contributing to academic advancement and social development, ensuring this spirit of pragmatism shines brightly in the new era.

On December 6, 2023, a group of 53 faculty members and students from Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute visited the BD Medical Greater China Shanghai Headquarters. They toured the Customer Experience Center and Research and Development Center, engaging in discussions on cutting-edge technology applications and career development plans. The visit aimed to enhance their career competence and provide insights into the globalized medical technology industry.Introduction of BD MedicalBD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world and is advancing the world of health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics and the delivery of care. The company supports the heroes on the frontlines of healthcare by developing innovative technology, services and solutions that help advance both clinical therapy for patients and clinical process for healthcare providers. BD and its 75,000 employees have a passion and commitment to help enhance the safety and efficiency of clinicians' care delivery process, enable laboratory scientists to accurately detect disease and advance researchers' capabilities to develop the next generation of diagnostics and therapeutics. BD has a presence in virtually every country and partners with organizations around the world to address some of the most challenging global health issues. By working in close collaboration with customers, BD can help enhance outcomes, lower costs, increase efficiencies, improve safety and expand access to healthcare.Visit to the Customer Experience Center and Research and Development CenterThe students embarked on their visit, starting with the Customer Experience Center, where they had the opportunity to gain insights into BD's remarkable technological, product, and service innovations within the medical field. BD Medical operates across three major business segments: the Medical Segment, the Life Sciences Segment, and the Interventional Segment. The Medical Segment focuses on medication management, enhancing drug infusion techniques, advocating for infection prevention, and prioritizing healthcare safety. The Life Sciences Segment supports cellular research to improve diagnostic accuracy and efficiency, while the Interventional Segment advances treatment for high-burden diseases and strengthens surgical and interventional procedures.Cutting-edge Technology Applications and Career Development TalkDuring an engaging session on cutting-edge technology, technical experts delivered informative lectures titled "BD Flow Cytometry Innovation: Advancing Scientific Research and Clinical Testing," "BD Medical Microbiology Integrated Solutions," and "BD Single-Cell Multiomics Technology and Career Development Overview." Through these presentations, the experts shared their insights on the applications of cutting-edge technology and career development plans within the medical technology industry.The purpose of this visit to BD company was to enable the students to gain a comprehensive understanding of globalized medical technology companies, enhance career competence, and support their career development. Assistant Dean Wanlu Liu, Mikael Bjorklund, and Student Affairs Administrators Ruidong Wang and Xuantong Wei organized and participated in this visit.

Recently, Dr. Jian Liu’s group from Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute (ZJE) and the collaborators, Pro. Aifu Lin from College of Life Sciences of Zhejiang University, published an article entitled “LncRNA LINK-A Remodels Tissue Inflammatory Microenvironments to Promote Obesity” in Advanced Science. http://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202303341High-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity is a crucial risk factor for metabolic syndrome, mainly due to adipose tissue dysfunctions associated with it. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study used genetic screening to identify an obesity-associated human lncRNA LINK-A as a critical molecule bridging the metabolic microenvironment and energy expenditure in vivo by establishing the HFD-induced obesity knock-in (KI) mouse model. Mechanistically, HFD LINK-A KI mice induced the infiltration of inflammatory factors, including IL-1β and CXCL16, through the LINK-A/HB-EGF/HIF1α feedback loop axis in a self-amplified manner, thereby promoting the adipose tissue microenvironment remodeling and adaptive thermogenesis disorder, ultimately leading to obesity and insulin resistance. Notably, LINK-A expression was positively correlated with inflammatory factor expression in individuals who are overweight. Of note, targeting LINK-A via nucleic acid drug antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) attenuated HFD-induced obesity and metabolic syndrome, pointing out LINK-A as a valuable and effective therapeutic target for treating HFD-induced obesity. Briefly, our results revealed the roles of lncRNAs (such as LINK-A) in remodeling tissue inflammatory microenvironments to promote HFD-induced obesity. Pro. Aifu Lin and Pro. Jian Liu are the corresponding authors. In addition, the master student Zengzhuang Yuan (ZJE, 2021 entry) participates in this research. Lin’s group is mainly responsible for the generation of mouse models, mechanism investigations and manuscript writing; Liu’s group is mainly responsible for bioinformatics analyses, project designing, and manuscript revision. About Jian Liu’s labJian Liu's group is now interested in investigating lung squamous cell carcinoma development and treatment using genetic mouse models and AI+ multi-omics, especially the research direction on cancer immunology and 3D genome. He has published over 50 papers, including publications in the past three years, as a co-corresponding author in Nature Communications, Advanced Science, Molecular Oncology, Frontiers in Immunology journals. Moreover, his lab developed a multi-omics web database Omics3D (http://omics3d.net/) to investigate the de novo functional genome during cancer development.Email:JianL@intl.zju.edu.cnJian Liu’s lab (https://person.zju.edu.cn/liujian) is recruiting postdoc and Ph.D. students, including the single degree from University of Edinburgh

【Editor’s Note: In this enlightening edition of Dialogue@ZJU, we are honored to feature Professor Sue Welburn, Executive Dean of the Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute (ZJE). Her remarkable journey from the Tsetse Research Laboratories in Bristol to her pivotal role at the University of Edinburgh, where she established the Global Health Academy in 2009, showcases a relentless pursuit of excellence and impact. Her research, which has significantly contributed to the understanding of the transmission of human sleeping sickness, is complemented by her hands-on involvement in disease control projects across Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia, and Tanzania. In her conversation with LI Min, ZJU’s Director of Global Engagement, Professor Welburn delves into her experiences and insights on women in science and leadership, illuminating the challenges and opportunities faced. Her story is not just one of scientific endeavor but a beacon of inspiration for women scientists aspiring to make a difference in the world of academia and beyond.】Quotes from the interview with Professor Sue Welburn: - There is a certain point in your career, probably five or six years, where you have this opportunity to make a fast trajectory in the progression of your career. Unfortunately, men inherently have an advantage in that window of opportunity, as women are burdened with a lot of the caring responsibilities and societal pressures to have children. - I would never want anybody to think that I've got to where I am today because I'm a woman. I want to be recognized for what I can do. - I would like to see institutions give free childcare for women. I think that would really help. I believe that offering the opportunity of free and accessible childcare is beneficial as it prevents you from wasting half your day driving twenty minutes to go and pick a child up. You can visit during the day, and you could feel that you're not giving up something to do something. You love your children, and you love your job. You shouldn't have to be compromising on that. - I think mentorship schemes are really important. In Edinburgh, we have an Athena Swan Charter, which supports women at all levels through their career development. I would like to see more of that. - You can make life easier for yourself by having good collaborations, having people working with you, being generous, and sharing information. - You should think there's no limit to what you can do. In my experience, the biggest thing holding women back is thinking that they're not good enough. You're definitely good enough. You're more than good enough. The only thing stopping you from achieving your goals is your own insecurity.

On 5th December 2023, the ACT Series Lecture:Employment Experience Sharing Meeting came as scheduled.ZJE 2023 PhD graduates, Hengda Zhou and Xianzhi Gao, and master degree graduate Qinglin Lu, were invited to share their job application experience via online live streaming.The three outstanding graduates fully analyzed the reasons for choosing employment in the light of personal plans and family situation. They also encouraged everyone to be confident and patient.Through this sharing session, students have gained a new understanding of career planning. The valuable experiences shared by outstanding graduates have helped everyone clarify their future efforts and laid a solid foundation for future job seeking and employment.

Biomedical research is essential for human health, but many biomedical research activities use lab animals and the use can entail animal suffering. This suffering obviously harms the animal but can also personally affect the researcher or weaken the scientific validity of research. Taking a compassionate approach in these research activities could address these issues, but compassion is rarely discussed in biomedical sciences teaching and research. Dr. John Menzies and Dr. Nicola Romano have published a paper in Animals exploring the validation and use of a new survey to measure compassion towards laboratory animals. The survey was done in groups of biomedical sciences UG students. Different levels of compassion were observed in different groups, and using a harm-benefit task, they showed that students with lower levels of compassion are more likely to accept higher levels of animal suffering in a research setting. When exploring whether certain beliefs about animals were linked with compassion, they found that a belief that animals are conscious is associated with higher levels of compassion. This work will help us understand differences and similarities in values and beliefs about lab animals in different groups of students, and contribute to the development of teaching and learning activities on the ethics and practice of lab animal use.Access to the publication: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13223584

Ageing is the main risk factor for human diseases and death. Due to the global ageing, it has been urgent and challenging to understand the molecular basis of this complex biology process. Dietary restriction (DR), reduced food in-take without malnutrition, is one of the most robust environmental interventions that delays ageing. Using model organisms such as C. elegans, previous studies have identified key regulators that mediate the anti-ageing effect of DR. However, it has not been clear whether and how lipid metabolism, a process that is closely related to human health, plays any roles in the response to DR, and whether lipid metabolic enzymes serve as key mediators of DR.  To address these scientific questions, Dr. Di Chen's group carried out a series of research. The results have been recently published in Nature Communications as an article entitled “ACS-20/FATP4 mediates the anti-ageing effect of dietary restriction in C. elegans”.Dr. Chen's group focused on the acyl-CoA synthetase (ACS) family of enzymes, which play a critical role in the initial stage of fatty acid metabolism. Through an RNAi-based genetic screen, Dr. Chen's group identified ACS-20, the C. elegans ortholog of the fatty acid transporter 4 (FATP4), as a key mediator of DR's protective effect on lifespan and healthspan. Using genomic, genetic, genome editing, molecular and biochemical approaches, Dr. Chen's group demonstrates that the acs-20 mutant functions through the NHR-23 nuclear hormone receptor to regulate transcription of ptr-8, which encodes the Patched receptor ortholog from the Hedgehog pathway. Overexpression of ptr-8 leads to disruption of proteostasis, ER stress, and reduced lifespan and healthspan under DR. This study identifies highly conserved genes as key modulators of ageing in response to nutrients and reveals the underlying transcriptional regulation mechanisms.   ACS-20 mediates the beneficial effect of DR on ageing. Under DR conditions, ACS-20 activates the NHR-23 nuclear receptor to restrict the expression of ptr-8 with an unknown factor. When the acs-20 mutant is subject to DR, NHR-23 fails to bind to the ptr-8 promoter, which leads to ptr-8 overexpression, disruption of proteostasis, ER stress, and reduced lifespan and healthspan.Zi Wang, a Ph.D. student from Dr. Chen's group, is the first author, and Dr. Di Chen from ZJE is the corresponding author of this paper. Dr. Huanhu Zhu's group from the ShanghaiTech University provided support in lipid analysis. This work was supported by grants from the National Key Research and Development Program of China and National Natural Science Foundation of China (General Projects).

From October 31 to November 29, 2023, the nearly one-month-long mobilization and series of sharing exchange meetings for the NSFC application were successfully completed. Professor Xu Suhong, vice dean of ZJE, delivered a speech to mobilize the entire institute.The institute has always attached great importance to the application for National Natural Science Foundation by faculty and postdoctoral fellows, and has always adhered to the principle of "reporting as much as possible, taking the initiative to attack in an all-round and multi-dimensional way", actively creating a strong atmosphere for fund application throughout the institute. The sharing meeting invited five faculty members to share their experiences, including the 2023 recipient of the Foreign Outstanding Youth Project, PI Chew Ting Gang, and PI Aaron Irving, Professor Zhang Zhaocai from the Second Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine, PI Chen Di who has won the NSFC General Project four times, and PI Qiu Weiwei who obtained the NSFC General Project immediately after joining the Institute.During the sharing meeting, PIs imparted their experiences and insights, mainly focusing on "ingenious conceptual thinking for research oriented towards key scientific issues and writing", "consideration of the friendly review from the perspective of the proposal reviewer, and attention to details, language, and reference literature", and others, which were highly praised by young PIs especially the newly joined international faculty.During the sharing meeting, the faculty and postdoctoral fellows spoke freely, and conducted in-depth discussions and exchanges from multiple dimensions such as topic selection, attributes of scientific issues, selection of application departments, framework construction, and writing techniques. This event further enriched the strong atmosphere of fund application in the institute, fully warming up for the 2024 NSFC application, and actively mobilizing for it.

On 19th November 2023, the “ACT Series Lecture: Overseas Study Experience Sharing Meeting (UK)”  came as scheduled. He Kangning and Wang Yuran, two ZJE2019 undergraduates students, were invited to share their application experience, offer selection and admission experience of Cambridge University graduate program with the students through online live streaming. The two seniors combined their master's and doctoral application experiences and introduced many application experiences. Many students benefited from the experience and expressed their gratitude to the senior students.

On 2nd December 2023, the ACT Series Lecture: Overseas Study Experience Sharing Meeting (USA) came as scheduled. Wang Weijian, Su Yaqi, Wang Shiqi and Hao Ninghui, four ZJE2019 undergraduates, were invited to share their application experience, offer selection, and admission experience of their graduate program in America with the students through online live streaming.The seniors introduced the preparation for studying in the United States more purposefully according to the questions that collected before the lecture, especially emphasized the advantages of recommendation letters.  In addition, the experience of getting familiar with intended mentors also helps students to prepare targeted guided projects. This sharing meeting has broadened the horizons of students in ZJE, sincerely hope that all ZJEers can achieve your goals.