The Center for Basic and Translational Medical Research of SYSMH (abbreviated as the Medical Research Center) was established on January 28, 1999, with the aim of building a high-level, comprehensive medical research base to provide experimental facilities, equipment platforms, and technical support for the hospital's scientific research development. Initially covering just over 1,000 square meters, the center faced severe space shortages as the hospital's research capacity expanded and the number of personnel increased. In 2016, to address the inadequacy of laboratory space, the hospital launched an expansion plan:
(1) A 3,000-square-meter laboratory site on Guangzhou Bio-island, outfitted and equipped according to national key laboratory standards (officially opened in July 2017).
(2) A 3,200-square-meter Precision Clinical Immunology Translation and Innovation Center in Nanhai, Foshan (officially opened in November 2021).
(3) A 5,500-square-meter animal experimentation platform in Nanhai, Foshan (officially opened in August 2022).
(4) A newly constructed 10,000-square-meter research building at the main hospital campus on Renji Road (scheduled for use in 2023).
Over the next five years, the facilities and equipment of the hospital’s Medical Research Center are expected to meet the hardware requirements of a national key laboratory.
The Medical Research Center currently occupies over 12,000 square meters of experimental space, including laboratories at the main hospital campus, the Guangzhou International Bio-island branch, the Foshan Nanhai Precision Immunology Translation and Innovation Center, and the animal experimentation platform. The center is equipped with more than 1,797 pieces of equipment, with a total value exceeding 150 million RMB. Among these, approximately 110 high-value research instruments, each priced above 100,000 RMB, have a combined asset value of over 88 million RMB. In 2022, the focus was on developing the basic research platform and animal experimentation platform at the Nanhai Immunology Translation and Innovation Center, with new equipment purchases amounting to approximately 47 million RMB. The center has established well-equipped platforms for nucleic acid detection and analysis, high-resolution cellular imaging, cell sorting and analysis, mass spectrometry, animal research and imaging, and medical big data analysis. Large-scale instruments can be reserved online via the Zhongke Alliance platform (https://www.zkshare.com/client).
The laboratories have implemented scientifically effective management systems, established long-term training and exchange mechanisms, and equipped the facility with an intelligent instrument reservation management system. These measures ensure orderly laboratory operations, efficient utilization of equipment, and enhanced research productivity. Additionally, the laboratories place strong emphasis on the development and application of new technologies. Based on the available equipment, the center has established technical platforms in proteomics, metabolomics, genomics, biochips, tumor resource banks, animal imaging, cell sorting, tumor medical big data for new drug clinical research, primary tumor and stromal cell culture, live-cell observation, high-throughput next-generation sequencing library preparation, IncRNA expression detection, detection of interactions between IncRNA and proteins/DNA/RNA, bioinformatics analysis, and humanized mouse models.
The Medical Research Center boasts an academic team with a well-structured age and knowledge profile, high educational qualifications, broad disciplinary coverage, and strong technical expertise. It includes nearly 30 full-time senior professionals. Since 2010, the center has undertaken 75 research fund projects with total funding of 38.767 million RMB, including 2 international (regional) cooperation and exchange projects, 30 general program projects, and 1 Guangdong Outstanding Youth Project. The center has filed 14 patent applications, with 2 patents granted, and published over 200 SCI-indexed papers in internationally renowned journals such as Cell, Science Translational Medicine, Advanced Science, Nature Communications, and Nano Energy.
As the hospital’s public research platform, the Medical Research Center plays a crucial role in advancing the hospital’s disciplinary development. With strong support from Sun Yat-sen University and the hospital, it was approved as a Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Higher Education Institutions in 2009, marking the hospital’s first breakthrough in establishing a provincial-level key laboratory. Subsequently, it was approved as a Guangzhou Key Laboratory (2012), a Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory (2013), and a Guangdong Provincial International Cooperation Platform (2015). In December 2016, it successfully passed the recognition by the Ministry of Science and Technology as the "International Science and Technology Cooperation Base for Long Non-coding RNA and Major Diseases." This recognition represented the first national-level research base at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, signifying a significant elevation in the level of the research platform and providing a foundation for in-depth international scientific and technological cooperation and exchange in the future.