Scientific Advisory Board

Scientific Advisory Board

Bernard ROIZMAN, ScD

Professor, Chicago University, USA
Honorable President, Shenzhen International Institute for Biomedical Research (SIIBR)
Academician, Academy of Sciences, Medical College and Inventor Academy of Sciences, USA
Foreign Academician, Chinese Academy of Engineering
“Father of Herpes Virus” – World authority figure in Oncolytic Herpes Virus

Prof. Roizman received an ScD degree from the Johns Hopkins University in 1956 and joined the faculty at Hopkins afterwards. Later, in 1965, he joined the faculty at the University of Chicago.

His research interests lie primarily in studying the function of herpes simplex virus genes, while particularly focusing on the mechanisms by which the virus takes over the host cell and the development of therapeutic viruses for cancer treatment. He has gained international recognition for making significant contributions to the technical and intellectual underpinnings in the field of human herpesvirus research.

Prof. Roizman has been awarded the ICN International Prize in Virology, the J. Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine, Bristol-Myers Squibb Award for Distinguished Achievement in Infectious Disease Research, and the Abbott-ASM Lifetime Achievement Award for his pioneering contributions in the field.

Tao HONG, MD, PhD

Professor and Head, Acadamician’s Lab, Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, China CDC
Honorary Director, College of Life Sciences and Bioengineering, Beijing Jiaotong University
Member, Chinese Academy of Engineering

Prof. Hong received his PhD degree from the Institute of Virology of the Romanian Academy of Sciences in 1960. He is currently serving as the chief expert of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a researcher at the Institute of Viral Disease Control, and the director of the Academician Laboratory.

His research interests lie primarily in studying the molecular virology, viral structure, morphogenesis and EM diagnosis, mechanism of virus-host cell interaction, prions, Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegenerative diseases, cell and molecular mechanism of infectious and non-infectious dementia, transmission and pathway of amyloid protein from cell to cell, and diagnostic and therapeutic strategy. His major contributions to medical virology include the discovery of the morphology and morphogenesis of HFRS viruses, a breakthrough to the eventual characterization of HFRS virus, discovery and characterization of human group B rotavirus.

In recognition of his outstanding contributions in the field of virology, he has been awarded 15 awards by the Ministry of Health, Commission of Science and Technology as well as the World Health Organization (WHO).

Jianguo CHEN, PhD 

Professor, College of Life Sciences, Peking University
Deputy Director, The Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Ministry of Education
Member, Center for Quantitative Biology

Prof. Chen received his PhD degree in biology from the Peking University. He currently serves at the School of Life Sciences of Peking University and as the director of Experimental Animal Center. His research interests lie primarily in studying the cytoskeleton and cell differentiation process as well as the development of the nervous system.

Prof. Chen has published over 60 research papers in several reputed journals, including Nature, Oncogene and EMBO J. In addition, some of his research findings have been published by foreign counterparts into classic cell biology textbooks. Moreover, he was awarded the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars in 1995.

Yulin DENG, PhD

Professor and Dean, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology
Member, International Academy of Aeronautics

Prof. Deng received his PhD degree in neuroscience from the Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan. He is one of China’s leading experts in space biomedical science and specialized in developing novel biotechnologies via integrating life science and analytical technology. Currently, he is actively serving as the executive director of Chinese Society of Space Research, the deputy director of Chinese Society of Astronautics, Aerospace Medical Engineering and Biology branch, the director of Institute of Complex Medical Engineering (ICME) and as the editors for several scientific journals.  

Supported by the National Science and Technology Support Program, “Microfluidic Chip Gene Amplification Device” (SZ-8 / 231-450) was developed by the research team led under the supervision of Prof. Deng and was successfully implemented in China’s triumphant launch of Shenzhou VIII spacecraft in November, 2011. This experimental device was designed to study how space environment causes DNA mutations and biomolecular changes.

Former Board Members

Professor Arthur KORNBERG (1918 – 2007)

Former Emma Pfeiffer Merner Professor of Biochemistry
Stanford University School of Medicine

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1959

Awarded the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine with Severo Ochoa “for their discovery of the mechanisms in the biological synthesis of ribonucleic acid and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).”

Professor Susumu TONEGAWA

Picower Professor, Biology and Neuroscience,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Director, RIKEN-MIT Center for Neural Circuit Genetics
Principal Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1987

Awarded the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine “for his discovery of the genetic principle for generation of antibody diversity.”

Professor Po TIEN

Professor, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Member, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Prof. Tien received a Bachelor’s degree in plant protection science from Beijing Agricultural University in 1954. Currently, he serves as a principle investigator at the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Before 1986, Prof. Tien’s research mainly focused on plant viruses and viroids. In fact, he is the first scientist in the world to have successfully applied viral satellite RNA as biological control agents to prevent plant diseases in the field. After 1986, his research group focused on two research interests. The first was on molecular virology and genetically engineered resistance against plant virus and viroid diseases and currently, the group is mainly interested in studying the molecular mechanism of HBV T-cell immunity and enveloped virus-cell fusion.

In recognition of his significant research contributions, he has received several awards. Twice he won the prizes of the Science & Technology Advancement Award from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He is a two-time winner of the prize in the National Science & Technology Advancement Award, and also a prize in Science & Technology Advancement Award from the Ministry of Agriculture.

Prof. Tien died of an illness in Beijing on December 15, 2019, aged 88.