I. Profile
The Laboratory of Molecular Immunity and Cellular Behavior of Binzhou Medical University was approved as a key laboratory of Shandong Province during the 13th Five-Year Plan of Higher Education in April 2017. Based on the “9th Five-Year Plan” key discipline of Immunity, and master degree authorization program, the Laboratory is with its head of Professor Tao Hu. The laboratory currently has three relatively stable research directions in tumor immunity, immune regulation and reproductive immunity.
II. The Team
The laboratory currently has 24 permanent staff members, including 9 professors, 10 associate professors, and 21 doctoral degree holders, 1 person in the National New Century Talent Support Program, and 1 person is as a Famous Teaching Faculty in Shandong Province. This is an innovative team full of vitality, formed by young talents attracted to carry out research on the interaction between the intestinal microbiome and the regional immune system. The entire team has high level of academic qualifications, scientific research and innovation, and public relations capabilities. The laboratory has three stable research directions in tumor immunity, immune regulation, and reproductive immunity. Professor Hu Tao, the academic leader in the field of tumor immunity, is the leader of the immunology discipline of Binzhou Medical University. He mainly studies the abnormal glycosylation modification of cell surface membrane molecules and the imbalance of expression of important immune regulatory molecules from the perspective of epigenetics in tumorigenesis and development, and the mechanism of action; and studies the role of microorganisms in the process of gastric cancer and related mechanisms from the perspective of bioinformatics. Professor Luan Xiying, an academic leader in the direction of immune regulation, is an Expert with Outstanding Contributions to Binzhou City and an expert who enjoys Special Government Allowances from the State Council. He mainly studies important immunosuppressive molecules and negative immunoregulation mediated by mesenchymal stem cells in controlling tissue organ transplant rejection and the mechanism of action in the treatment of diseases such as autoimmune diseases. Professor Hu Xuemei, the academic leader in the field of reproductive immunity, is a Middle-aged Expert with Outstanding Contributions in Shandong Province. He enjoys Special Government Allowances from the State Council. He is mainly engaged in the study of molecular immune mechanisms of toxoplasma gondii infection during pregnancy leading to adverse pregnancy outcomes.
III. Academic Achievements
In the past five years, the Laboratory has undertaken 19 projects from the National Natural Science Foundation of China and more than 12 projects at the provincial and ministerial level. The Laboratory has won 1 second prize, 2 third prizes of Shandong Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award, more than 10 department-level science and technology awards, published more than 150 academic papers, including SCI 76 papers, and trained 96 graduate students.
IV. Infrastructure
The total area of the laboratory is about 460 square meters. Each experimental platform has relatively complete equipment, with the total value of the equipment of more than RMB 13 million yuan. Now it has biological information workstation, flow cytometer, fluorescent quantitative PCR instrument, multifunctional microplate reader, real-time label-free cell analysis system, fluorescence microscope, tissue processor, gel imaging analysis system, chemiluminescence imaging system, carbon dioxide incubator, ultra-clean bench, refrigerated centrifuge, cell counter and other instruments and equipment that can meet the needs of existing scientific research projects.
