China's Tsinghua University has recently signed a cooperative
agreement with the McGovern Institute for Brain Research (MIBR) at
the US-based Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for a
joint neuroscience research program.
The program will promote advances in basic neuroscience research
that can be applied to the study of the human brain, as well as
devastating brain diseases and mental disorders, according to the
agreement.
Chinese scholars from Tsinghua's Institute of Life Sciences and
Medicine and US researchers from MIBR will be able to visit each
other and conduct collaborative researches, the agreement said.
The program may also sponsor joint scientific meetings for
neuroscientists between the two countries, it said.
"The brain disorders we study at the McGovern Institute are
global problems. The progress will surely depend on global
collaborations," said Robert Desimone, MIBR director.
MIBR, established in February 2000 with a donation from Patrick
McGovern, founder of the International Data Group (IDG), and his
wife, aims to help those crippled by Parkinson's disease,
schizophrenia, autism and other mental diseases in search for
better treatments.
Hugo Shong, IDG China president, has donated US$800,000 to MIBR
to help facilitate exchanges of postdoctoral fellows and scientists
between the institute and three Chinese universities, including the
Beijing-based Tsinghua.
"I greatly admire and share McGovern's vision in establishing
the MIBR at MIT," Shong said. "He has been considering building a
similar institute in Europe and Asia, respectively. I really hope
the Asian one could be set up in China. This will benefit over 80
million people with brain diseases and mental disorders in
China."
IDG is involved in IT publications and research, exhibitions,
and venture investment.
(Xinhua News Agency January 16, 2008)