China Takes the Lead in the Structural Determination of Lumbrokinase

After five years of arduous work, CAS scientists recently succeeded in determing the structure of lumbrokinase (earthworm fibrinolytic enzyme), shedding light on the understanding of this drug at the molecular level and laying a foundation for drug design based on its structure.

A research group headed by Prof. Wenrui Chang at the National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Institute of Biophysics, has isolated seven fibrinolytic components from lumbrokinase crude powder from earthworm Eisenia fetida, one of which, named EFE-a, can not only directly degrade fibrin, but also indirectly degrade fibrin by activating plasminogen. The group has filed for an invention patent for the procedure of the purification and preparation of these components.

By X-ray diffraction methods, the group has determined the 3D structure of one component (EFE-a), that is, the coordinates of all its several thousand non-hydrogen atoms. The coordinates and related data have been given to the Protein Data Bank (PDB) to be shared with scientists all over the world.

The research results have been published in an international journal, Journal of Molecular Biology. All this has provided a structural basis for the modification of lumbrokinase. In addition, the group recently determined another component for lumbrokinase and is now engaged in the structural determination of other components of the earthworm extract.

First High-Temperature Super Conductor Adaptor Developed in China

The Institute of Electrical Engineering, CAS, Xinjiang Tebian Electrical Engineering Co. Ltd. and Hebei University have jointly developed 630KVA/10.5KV High-Temperature Super Conductor Adaptor since 2002. As a primary stage research result, they have completed the research of 26KVA/400V High-Temperature Super Conductor Adaptor in November 2003. Following the successes of few countries like U.S, Switzerland, Germany and Japan, China has also made the first sample of High-Temperature Super Conductor Adaptor. This has built a solid basis for the further research of High-Temperature Super Conductor Adaptor and made China in line with the advanced countries in this field.

Assembling of HT-7U Initialized
--International Nuclear Fusion Experts Reviewed China Mega Science Project

An international advisory committee consists of 25 renowned Nuclear Fusion experts from UK, Germany, US, Japan, Russia, France, Indian and ITER reviewed the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokmak (EAST) in CAS Institute

of Plasma Physics (IPP) in Hefei. The committee concluded that EAST as the 1st Tokmak in the world in stable operation with complete Superconducting Magnet and flexible cooling system is a big forward of China's Nuclear fusion research. Its success also includes the cultivation of a new generation of nuclear fusion research scientists in China. Impressed by the home-designed-and-made super magnet by IPP, the committee members proposed further international cooperation on non-circular cross section Tokmak in terms of operation, program simulation and theoretical studies.