The Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology has a long history and distinguished features. It has been engaged in the cardiovascular disease and tumor diagnosis research for many years. It was among the first in China to be authorized to start master’s programs in 1981.Early in 1988, it was recognized for excellence by the Education Committee of Jiangsu Province, and in 1994 it was promoted to be a provincial key discipline. The Department also obtained excellent reviews on the tenth and eleventh Five-Year Plans. It was authorized to enroll students for doctoral degrees in 2000 and to establish the key laboratory of human functional genomics for Jiangsu province in 2002.

For the past five yeas, the Department has practiced a three-pronged development strategy of discipline, team, and base to optimize the efficiency of management. It relies on the high-tech research platform, and develops excellent teachers who promote quality instruction.?

1. The quality of the team has improved steadily over the past fiver years. We have recruited six young teachers, three of whom are professors from overseas. At the same time, we actively train existing staff. We have sent five young teachers abroad for doctoral degrees or postdoctoral research. Our teachers have a superior educational background--55% have a PhD degree. Two of our staff are part of the 333 Project, and one is a cross-century academic leader of the Qinglan Project. Three have made outstanding contributions to Jiangsu Province, one enjoys the special allowance of the State Council, and another is a distinguished specially-appointed professor of Nanjing Medical University.

2. Using technology, the Department has been developing advanced research. For the past few years, the Department has utilized the key laboratory of human functional genomics to develop research work on atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, diabetes, tumors, nerve injury and repair, humanized antibody and anti-schistosomiasis vaccines. There have been significant developments in all these areas. The Department has won more than twenty national projects funded by the 973 Program, the 863 Program projects, and National Natural Science Foundation of China, and 15 provincial projects. We have published more than 300 articles, of which more than 50 SCI papers, EI papers, and ISTP papers. The Department has been given five awards at the provincial level or above.

3. The Department has been strengthening its training programs. In the past five years, it has enrolled 35 doctoral students and 86 master’s students, awarded 8 PhDs and 26 MSs. Our master’s students have published 51 articles, of which 15 are SCI papers, and produced one Jiangsu Provincial Outstanding Thesis. The Department has obtained two innovation funds for post-graduate students. Besides training the postgraduate students, the Department has developed two new majors: clinical pathology and forensic medicine.
4. The Department actively carries out the academic exchanges. Collaboration exchanges exist with many domestic and overseas universities: London University, Cambridge University, Harvard University, University of Texas, University of Pittsburgh, University of East Tennessee etc. Nine people have gone abroad to attend international academic conferences or pursue other academic goals. The Department has organized important domestic academic conferences three times. It is the chairman member unit of the Jiangsu Province Association of Pathophysiology, and four of its faculty hold key positions in academic organizations. The Atherosclerosis Committee of the Chinese Association of Pathophysiology. is located in the Department.

Focusing its research on cardio-cerebral vascular diseases, diabetes, tumors and immunity pathology, the Department has made some original findings and significant expositions. The major papers have been published in Arterioscler Thtomb Vasc Biol., Biochem J, Hepatology and Diabetes. Other significant achievements by the Department include:

• It has discovered the new sequence of a-scavenger receptor and mediated signal ingression and demonstrated for the first time that the cytoprotective action of glycine is mediated by the glycine receptor.
• It has constructed a dissoluble small molecule fragment of human single-chain Fv antibody against amyloid -b polypeptide, which can prevent A?b aggregation and the neurocyte toxic action of A?b, and is expected to become the candidate antibody of immunotherapy for Alzheimer's disease.
• It has developed the NP30 short-range antibody test kit of schistosomiasis, which has been used by the people from the schistosomiasis endemic areas for 20 million times. This innovation has had a significant impact on the treatment and control of the schistosomiasis and is a superior social outcome. It has also developed the anti-idiotypic antibody nano-vaccine against schistosomiasis with a protective effect of 50%--one of the world’s best rates.?
• It has become one of China’s leaders in diagnosis and pathogenesis of tumors, especially the pathologic diagnosis of soft tissue tumors.

Academic Leader:　Dr. Qi Chen
Professor and supervisor of PhD programs

Major Research Directions and Academic Leaders:
Cardiovascular pathophysiology　　　　　　　　　　Qi Chen
Tumor Pathology　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Jing Leng
Pathogenesis of diabetes and its compensation　　Xiao Han
Immunopathology　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 Zhengqing Feng

Telephone Number:0086-25-86862886
E-mail:qchen@njmu.edu.cn