Department of Genetics & Developmental Biology

1.1 The history of Department of Genetics & Developmental Biology

The Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology developed from the Department of Biology of Nanjing Railway Medical College. The Department of Genetics was one of the first institutions which were granted by the State Council the ability to confer Master's degrees.

In 1987, it became the pioneer department of medical genetics of the Ministry of Railways, which was the only department related to life sciences under the ministry.

In 1996, the department laboratory was approved by the Ministry of Railways as a ministerial-level open laboratory for molecular biology (Professor Yang Huanming, Director of the Laboratory, Professor Lu Shengdong, Director of the Academic Committee).

In April 2000, Nanjing Railway Medical College was merged into Southeast University.

In 2000, the Department of Biology, Nanjing Railway Medical College, was granted the privilege of awarding doctoral degrees in Genetics by the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council.

In 2001, the Key Laboratory of Genetic Diagnosis and Gene Therapy of Jiangsu Province was established. The subject of Genetics became a distinguished subject of proferssorship of the “Changjiang Scholars Award Program” of the Ministry of Education.

In 2002, it became a key discipline of the “Tenth Five-Year Plan” of Jiangsu Province. In the 1980s and 1990s, the faculty of the Department of Biology undertook more than 10 projects for the National Natural Science Foundation of China, as well as several provincial and ministerial-level natural science projects. A number of faculty members have been awarded different honorary titles for their outstanding contributions from the Ministry of Railways and other special allowances from the State Council, such as the Ministry of Railways Zhan TianYou talent award, the locomotive medal, the model worker, the outstanding teacher, the Jiangsu Redwood Tree Gardener Prize, the Jiangsu Province outstanding academic leader, and outstanding scientific and technological workers awards.

1.2   The present of Department of Genetics & Developmental Biology

    The department houses 6 faculty members, including 1 professor, 3 associate professors and 2 assistant professor. In this dedicated faculty, all members hold doctoral degrees and young and middle-aged members accounts for the main body. One faculty member has been awarded the honorary title of the young academic leaders of the “Blue Project” in Jiangsu Province. One has been awarded the honorary title of outstanding young teacher of the “Blue Project” in Jiangsu Province, and one has been awarded the honorary title of outstanding young teacher of the “New Century Excellent Talent Support Program” of the Ministry of Education.

    The Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology is a specialized basic discipline of the medical school. The department undertakes instruction of postgraduate students, 5+3 clinical medical students, 5-year undergraduate students, bioengineering majors, and international students (MBBS students). Teaching courses are related to Medical biology, Medical cell biology, Medical genetics, Modern biology, Genetics, Cell and Genetics Experiments.

The department has a high-level scientific research team, and has a public experimental platform for genetics and developmental biology under construction. The department has facilities such as PCR instruments, cryogenic refrigerated centrifuge, GEL imaging system, constant temperature incubator, and ultra-clean bench device.

     In recent years, the department has undertaken two major programs for the National Natural Science Foundation of China, six National Natural Science Foundation projects, two National Natural Science Foundation of Youth Fund projects, and several provincial and ministerial-level research projects. The total research funding is more than 2 million Yuan. Moreover, the department published more than 60 SCI papers. Currently, there are 8 graduate students and 4 doctoral students in our department.

Main characteristics and advantages:

⑴ Research on the etiology and epigenetic regulation mechanism in digestive system neoplasms, including liver cancer, gastric cancer, and esophageal carcinoma.

⑵ Research on the screening and study of epigenetic biomarkers in digestive system tumor.

⑶ Research on the microenvironment of digestive system tumor.

⑷ Research on the Cis-regulatory variants of genes involved in vitamin D metabolic pathway and their transcriptional mechanisms in monocytes.

⑸ Research on the DNA damage response and cancer, DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) repair and Nucleotide Excision Repair (NER).