1. Review of Discipline History
The Microbiology discipline at Xuzhou Medical University is a key supporting discipline within the first and second phases of Jiangsu Province. In 2013, the discipline was authorized to offer a Master's degree in Microbiology, followed by the approval of a Doctoral degree in the same field. In 2010, the Laboratory of Infection and Immunity was established, spanning three first-level disciplines: Basic Medicine, Clinical Medicine, and Preventive Medicine. The laboratory has been recognized as a university-level and city-level key laboratory and was designated the Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism in 2016. The discipline has established long-term and stable collaborations with internationally renowned universities in the United States, Australia, and Japan. In June 2022, it was approved as the Jiangsu International Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism. This partnership enables joint academic discussions and collaborative research with high-level international laboratories and research centers.
2. Main Research Direction of the Discipline
This discipline emphasizes interdisciplinary and collaborative innovation across Basic Medicine, Biology, Clinical Medicine, and Pharmacy. The primary research efforts focus on two key areas: intestinal microecology and health, and the regulatory mechanisms of microbial gene transcription.
3. Discipline Leader and Team Introduction
Introduction of Discipline Leader: Professor Yanxia Wei, doctoral supervisor, Jiangsu Province "333 project" training object, Jiangsu Province "Qinglan Project" outstanding young backbone teacher. She is currently a member of the Bacteriology Group of the Special Committee of Medical Microbiology and Immunology of the Chinese Society of Microbiology and the deputy chairman of the Science Popularization Committee of the Jiangsu Society of Immunology. Her research focuses on microecology and host health. In recent years, She has hosted 2 projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, 2 projects of the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, and 10 other projects at the municipal level, and published more than 30 papers included in SCI, including research papers published in Cellular & Molecular Immunology, Microb Cell Fact, Appl Environ Microbiol, and other journals.
The discipline comprises 50 members, with 15 holding senior titles, accounting for 30% of the team. Additionally, 17 members have associate senior titles, representing 34%, and 18 individuals hold intermediate professional titles or below (including postdoctoral researchers), comprising 36%. Among the faculty, 40 are holders of doctoral degrees, constituting 80% of the team. There are 11 supervisors for doctoral students and 14 supervisors for postgraduate students.
The faculty includes 6 distinguished professors from Jiangsu Province, along with 6 high-level young and mid-career doctors with international experience, 1 person received the State Council's Special Government Allowance, 1 person has been recognized as a prominent young and middle-aged expert in the province, and 14 individuals have received awards for being "Double Innovation" talents, "Double Innovation" team members, "Double Innovation" doctoral candidates, "333 High-Level Talent Cultivation Project" , and the "Six Major Talent Peaks" project. Additionally, there is 1 Jiangsu Province Science and Technology Innovation Team, 1 outstanding teaching team under the "Qinglan Project," and 9 individuals who are young and middle-aged academic leaders and excellent young backbone teachers under the "Qinglan Project."
4. Scientific Research Status
In recent years, the discipline has successfully undertaken over 130 research projects of various types. These include a sub-project of the national "Twelfth Five-Year" plan, a sub-project of the National "973" Program, a sub-project of a National Science and Technology Major Project, and 25 projects supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Additionally, team members have contributed to the completion of 2 European Union projects.
The discipline has earned several prestigious awards, including 3 provincial and ministerial science and technology achievement awards, 1 second-place national teaching achievement award, 4 provincial teaching achievement awards, and 7 national invention patents.
The discipline has published more than 280 research papers in both domestic and international journals, including over 190 SCI-indexed articles in high-impact journals such as PNAS, Microbiome, HEPATOLOGY, Cellular & Molecular Immunology, Theranostics, and Obesity Reviews. The team has also edited 5 monographs and 8 textbooks. Notably, the book “Biology of Clonorchis Sinensis and the Prevention and Treatment of Clonorchiasis Disease”has become a key reference for researchers in the field.
5. Strength of the Disciplinary Research Platform
The Immunity and Metabolism Laboratory is a key laboratory of Jiangsu Province, spanning an area of 3,000 square meters. The laboratory is equipped with 10 advanced technology platforms, including an immune molecular platform, flow cytometry and sorting platform, antibody engineering platform, molecular biology platform, cell culture platform, proteomics platform, metabolomics platform, pathology platform, bacterial culture and isolation platform, and a P2 laboratory research platform. The laboratory's total value of instruments and equipment exceeds 25 million yuan and includes 36 major instruments, such as a flow cytometer, MACS magnetic bead sorting system, automatic immunohistochemistry instrument, laser confocal microscope, AKATA protein purification system, patch clamp system, ultra-thin microtome, tissue embedding machine, scanning electron microscope (fluorescence), and transmission electron microscope, among others. This comprehensive array of state-of-the-art equipment provides an excellent hardware platform to support a wide range of research activities and meets the needs of talent training in related fields.
6. Situation of Discipline Talent Cultivation
This discipline emphasizes the development of graduate research and innovation capabilities. It has established a comprehensive teaching system for graduate students, including protocols for laboratory entry and exit, a management system for graduate student "three assistants," and a regular graduate assessment system. These frameworks aim to provide an optimal environment for students to engage in scientific research training. The discipline actively encourages graduate students to apply for projects at various levels and offers multi-channel, comprehensive training to enhance postgraduate research thinking and academic innovation skills. Many master's graduates have been accepted into doctoral programs at prestigious universities such as Peking University, Southeast University, and Soochow University. PhD graduates have gone on to exchange and study at high-level research platforms, including the University of California and other leading international institutions.
The discipline attaches great importance to the training of graduate supervisors, especially young teachers.On one hand, it attracts distinguished foreign talents to return and work as graduate supervisor. On the other, it continues to promote the training and promotion plan of current faculty members. To strengthen international collaboration, the discipline has implemented a joint graduate training program with foreign universities and research institutions. It strives to align graduate education with international standards, enhancing its global competitiveness and influence. Additionally, the discipline encourages graduate supervisor, especially young faculty, to engage in academic exchanges and cooperation with renowned institutions at home and abroad, working towards the establishment of a high-level academic team.
Currently, the discipline offers courses for 26 undergraduate programs, including clinical medicine, anesthesiology, imaging medicine and nuclear medicine, biology, preventive medicine, pharmacy, nursing, laboratory science, and related master's and doctoral programs such as Medical Immunology, Medical Microbiology, and Human Parasitology. It offers doctoral and master's degrees in biology, basic medicine, and clinical medicine. The teaching of these courses has received positive feedback from both faculty and students.
7. Disciplinary Social Services
The discipline has made significant contributions to social service, achieving a series of notable accomplishments. These include conducting surveys and prevention efforts related to infectious disease pathogens and playing a pivotal role in the prevention and control of major infectious diseases, such as the first O157:H7 hemorrhagic Escherichia coli epidemic in China and the first diagnosis of hepatitis TT virus. Additionally, it serves as the only designated center for parasitic disease screening and diagnosis in northern Jiangsu.
The discipline has actively engaged in autoimmune disease detection, offering clinical diagnostic services to Xuzhou and surrounding areas. In addition, it has led initiatives to send medical professionals to rural areas to enhance the medical technology of township hospitals. Collaborative efforts with relevant units and institutions in Xuzhou and its surrounding regions have promoted the popularization of scientific knowledge.
In the past three years, the laboratory has hosted several national and provincial academic conferences and summit forums, positioning itself as a regional hub for academic exchange. These efforts have fostered academic collaboration within the industry and enhanced the discipline's influence.
8. Enrollment and Employment
In the past three years, we have enrolled 6 postgraduate students and 2 doctoral students. Currently, we have 6 graduate students and 3 doctoral students. They have achieved excellent results in their respective fields, earning high recognition both within the province and nationally, as well as internationally.
