INTRODUCTION
Cell Engineering Research Center & Department of Cell Biology of Fourth Military Medical University is a key Base of Hi-tech Research and Development Program of China (“863” plan). Our center has been honored as National Key Discipline of Cell Biology and State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology. Since founded in 1999, our center has long been focusing on studying the molecule regulatory network of tumor development and progression and developing the new drug for tumor therapy. We have established a series of techniques for research on tumor cell biology and R&D on anti-tumor drug development based on antibodies and peptides. We have also set up the standard protocols and guidelines for the cell engineering-related technologies. In our center, student teaching, R&D and large-scale production platform have been put on the similarly important position and principle investigator (PI) system together with collaboration model on big project have been successfully carried out.

ACHIEVEMENTS
Since the tenth national“Five-year Plan”, we have undertaken 8 national key projects for clinical research, such as “Hi-tech Research and Development Program of China(863 plan): technique for large-scale preparation of protein drugs 2007AA021701)” and “National Key Science and Technology Program for Development of New Drug and Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine: technique platform for production of expressed protein by highly efficient large-scale culturing of mammalian cells (2002AA2Z3441，2004AA2Z3791)”. In the field of basic research, we have also been funded for 2 projects from “National Basic Research Program of China” and 2 key projects from National Natural Science Foundation of China. The total building floor area for our center is 3500 m2 with a GMP-standard pilot manufacturing facility covering 1000 m2. The most important findings in our lab are from the structure and function’s study of HAb18G/CD147, a tumor biomarker. We found that this protein is over-expressed in a variety of tumor tissues, but not in non-cancerous tissues. We have also successfully analyzed its crystal structure and obtained the antibody-binding epitope on this protein. We fully investigated its function and demonstrated that this molecules was involved in the induction of matrix metalloproteinases, angiogenesis and tumor cell invasion.

BIOPHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS
We have developed a series of biopharmaceutical products, including several anti-HAb18G/CD147 engineering antibodies, more than 50 anti-colon cancer antibodies and 9 antagonistic peptides against HAb18G/CD147. Among these products, Licartin (Iodine [131I] Metuximab Injection) is a new drug and we have 100% of intellectual property right. This drug can kill hepatoma cells by antibody-targeting and antigen-blocking. Under the collaberation with Chengdu Hoist Inc. Ltd, we got the certification for this new drug from Chinese FDA in 2005. After that, Licartin preparation was testified according to national GMP standard and Chinese FDA approved that this drug can go into Chinese market in 2007.

Patents, publications and awards:
11 national invention patents of China have been authorized;
2 software copyrights have been authorized;
7 national invention patents of China have been under the application;
3 PCT patents have been under the application and already went into national phase in Europe, United States and Japan.
45 SCI papers have been published, (1 paper with IF>10, 9 papers with IF 4~7);
1 project won the second prize of the National Science-Technology Advance Award
1 project won the first prize of the Shaanxi Science-Technology Award
1 project won the first prize of Science-Technology Advance Award of the People liberty Army (PLA)

ACADEMIC COMMUNICATION
Since 2004, 4 important international medical conferences have been held by our center and 6 world-famous scientists, including 3 nobel-prize winners, have been awarded as honor professor of our center. In addition, 9 other international scholars have been appointed as visiting professor of our center. We have undertaken one world-wide collaboration project and also established a close relationship for long-term research collaboration and information exchange with M.D. Anderson cancer center, University of Michigan and University of Arkansas.

BUSINESS COOPERATION
We have established wide-ranging collaborations in terms of R & D and the exchange of information and technology with many well-known biopharmaceutical companies, such as Boehringer Ingelheim Co. and Invitrogen Co. We have successfully developed the technical platform of enlarging-scale for biological drugs (capacity of 300 liter cell culturing) that are based on mammalian cell expression system. Then, we built up the production line with a capacity of 3000 liter cell culturing under the collaboration with Jiangsu Pacific-meinuoke biopharmaceutical companies. This production line will be mainly used for the preparation of antibody and recombinant proteins. To date, a total of 48 persons from 9 different biopharmaceutical companies or institutions have gotten good training on techniques or management in our center. In addition, 8 contracts of the technical service have been provided by our center and 330g of antibodies has been produced for preclinical research and clinical trial.

Now, a total of 52 research staff is working in our center, with 75% of them having Ph.D degree. Among these researchers, there are one member of Chinese Academy of Engineering, 3 full professors, 5 associate professors, 1 senior research sencientist, 15 assistant professors, 2 post-doc fellows, 12 Ph.D students and 13 master students.