On December 18, Zhejiang University celebrated the official inauguration of the Zhejiang University Institute for Advanced Study in Physics on Zijingang Campus.   REN Shaobo, chairman of the University Council, DU Jiangfeng, president of Zhejiang University, DONG Guoxuan, executive vice director of the Department of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and LIN Haiqing, the first dean of the Zhejiang University Institute for Advanced St...

From December 3 to 8, ZHU Hui, vice chairman of the Zhejiang University Council, led a delegation to visit Osaka University, Columbia University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The primary purpose of the tour was to investigate innovative practices in talent cultivation and student affairs. The delegation also visited the Education Section of the Chinese Embassy in Japan to discuss how to promote Sino-Japanese educational exchanges.On December 3, the delegation convened at the Ed...

From December 8 to 11, DU Jiangfeng, president of Zhejiang University, visited Hong Kong to attend the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Association of University Presidents of China (AUPC) and the Forum on Building World-class Universities. The 2023 AUPC Annual Meeting, supported by the Ministry of Education and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, was held at the Chinese University of Hong Kong on December 10. Present at the meeting were distinguished guests, including CHEN...

Addressing the long-standing Cannabis problem, an oddity that has vexed scientists for decades, joint research by Professor LI Xiao-Ming and Professor ZHANG Yan from Zhejiang University School of Medicine achieved a breakthrough by unraveling signaling bias mechanism toward cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1), facilitating safer synthetic cannabinoid targeting CB1. The findings were published in Cell under the title “Snapshot of the cannabinoid receptor 1–arrestin complex unravels ...

From December 4 to 8, FU Qiang, vice chairman of the Zhejiang University Council, led a delegation on a tour of Austria and the United Kingdom, aiming to foster and deepen collaborative ties with key partner universities and international organizations. The focus was on promoting cooperation in relevant disciplines and reinforcing the cultivation of qualified personnel for international organizations.The delegation commenced its visit on December 4 with productive discussions between FU Qiang an...

On November 28 and 29, the 13th Forum for Japanese and Chinese University Presidents was held at Hiroshima University in Japan, bringing together academic leaders from both nations. WU Jian, vice president of Zhejiang University, was invited to attend the forum and deliver a speech.Themed “Diversity and Integration: The Required Talents and Higher Education in the Future,” the forum delved into two main topics: “Utilization of ICT in New University Education in the Post-Covid Era” and “Chal...

In a study published in Molecular Plant on December 5, 2023, the research team led by Prof. DU Hao from the College of Agriculture and Biotechnology revealed a promising strategy to enhance rice production while conserving water and reducing fertilizer usage. Addressing a significant agriculture challenge, this study focuses on the effects of water-saving treatments (WST) in rice cultivation, which, while environmentally friendly, have led to a substantial redu...

Researchers at Zhejiang University have developed an intelligent formulation of insulin that could achieve sustained blood sugar-responsive insulin release. After one subcutaneous injection, the formulation formed a pea-sized depot that can remain effective for over a week with negligible hypoglycemia risk.The study, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, was conducted by a research team led by GU Zhen, the Distinguished Chair Professor and Dean of College of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Zhej...

The heterogeneity of cancer cells and the underlying drivers play a crucial role in understanding tumorigenesis, malignant progression, and in devising effective cancer therapies. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) can accurately capture the transcriptional information at the single-cell level, allowing for a deeper understanding of tumor heterogeneity.However, scRNA-seq has unique logistical and technical challenges in the processing of clinical tumor samples, especially archival materials ...

Nitrogen-based fertilizers have hugely increased agricultural output, but rain washes them into rivers and oceans with dire consequences. Zhejiang University researchers are searching for a middle ground.Every summer, vast quantities of algae and zooplankton flourish in coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. These algal blooms gobble up oxygen, leaving a ‘dead zone’ in the ocean that covers around 10,000 square kilometres, and is largely devoid of life. The oxygen-zapping algae and zooplankton ...