1. Review of Discipline History
The discipline of Physiology was established in 1958, concurrently with the founding of our university. As a fundamental medical discipline, physiology has undergone significant curriculum reform and development over the years. Today, the discipline boasts a robust curriculum, high teaching standards, a well-structured program, and faculty members with strong political, ideological, and professional qualities.
2. Main Research Direction of the Discipline
(1) The regulation mechanism of sex hormones on myocardial aging and injury.
(2) Mechanism of stress-induced vascular injury.
(3) Functional studies of ion channels.
3. Discipline Leader and Team Introduction
Introduction of Discipline Leader: Xinpeng Duan, professor, Ph.D. in Physiology, Harbin Medical University (2018), Postdoctoral Fellow in Pharmacology, New York Medical College, USA (2023), Youth member of Jiangsu Province Physiological Science Society. The main research direction is the study of kidney ion channels, blood pressure regulation, and potassium homeostasis. He has published more than 20 academic papers in international journals, including the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, Hypertension, JCI Insight, Acta Physiol, AJP-renal physiology, and other professional journals in this field. Presided over a national natural fund, Jiangsu Province University Project Surface Fund. In 2024, he was selected for the Jiangsu Science and Technology Association Youth Science and Technology Talent Promotion Project.
There are 25 faculty members, with 23 holding doctoral degrees in this discipline currently. Among them, there are 3 professors and 8 associate professors. There are also 1 doctoral supervisor and 11 master's supervisors. It is a dynamic research team, primarily composed of young faculty members.
4. Scientific Research Status
The Physiological Function and Injury Laboratory of this discipline is a Key Laboratory of Xuzhou City, providing a robust scientific research platform for the training of master's students, doctoral students, and postdoctoral researchers. In recent years, the discipline has conducted in-depth research in areas such as cardiac function, cell signal transduction, and ion channels, yielding numerous significant scientific results and establishing distinctive research directions. Over the past five years, the discipline has undertaken more than 30 national and provincial research projects, including 13 funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, with a total research funding of nearly 10 million yuan. In the early 1970s, the discipline received an award at the first National Science Conference. In 2015, it was jointly funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the British Medical Research Council, marking the university's first international cooperation project. In the past five years, the discipline has published over 100 scientific research papers, with more than 80 included in SCI-indexed journals, and secured nearly 10 national patents. The discipline has also received prestigious awards, including the Jiangsu Province Science and Technology Progress Award, Huaihai Science and Technology Progress Award, and Xuzhou Science and Technology Progress Award.
The discipline focuses on strengthening international exchanges and cooperation, and has established close ties with internationally renowned universities and scientific research institutions such as New York Medical College in the United States, National Heart and Lung Research Institute in the United Kingdom, and National University of Singapore to carry out scientific research cooperation and academic exchanges. A number of foreign visiting professors were invited to give lectures, and send graduate students to foreign laboratories to carry out experiments, so as to bring the training of graduate students to a higher level.
5. Strength of the Disciplinary Research Platform
The Physiological Function and Injury Laboratory is belonged to the discipline of Physiology, which is a key laboratory of Xuzhou City and is affiliated with the doctoral degree program. The laboratory is equipped with a cell culture room, animal operating room, and molecular laboratory. It features advanced research instruments, including a PowerLab pressure/volume signal collector, small animal electrocardiograph, ion imaging system, single-cell contraction function detection and analysis device, patch clamp, electrophoresis apparatus, and other essential equipment. The laboratory also boasts a stem cell platform, which includes human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hESC-CM) and human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CM), as well as a range of gene knockout mice for research purposes.
6. Situation of Discipline Talent Cultivation
The Discipline of Physiology is deeply committed to teaching and personnel development, consistently achieving excellent results in education. This discipline not only offers undergraduate courses, such as Human Physiology, Human Anatomical Physiology, and Functional Experiments, but also provides master's and doctoral courses, including Advanced Physiology, Modern Physiology Techniques, and International Communication Strategies. Notably, the Human Physiology course was recognized as a first-class online course in Jiangsu Province and a school-level excellent online course. Over the past five years, the discipline has earned 35 national, provincial, and school-level teaching awards, published more than 20 teaching-related papers, and secured over 10 educational and teaching research grants. The faculty has mentored undergraduate students in the Basic Medical Innovation Research and Experimental Design Competition, where students have won national Silver and Bronze awards. Additionally, graduate students have been awarded 8 Graduate Innovation Projects in Jiangsu Province. The discipline has hosted a total of 9 International Physiology Knowledge Competitions in mainland China, with teachers and students from more than 60 universities participating in the competitions, which not only greatly improved students' interest in learning, but also expanded the popularity of our university.
7. Enrollment and Employment
The discipline has successfully trained over 70 master and doctoral students, the majority of whom are now employed in hospitals, research institutes, and medical-related enterprises and institutions. Additionally, some graduates have pursued further studies at universities.
