Scientists and researchers of both sides will make joint efforts in the life sciences sector, including personnel exchange and information transfer.

The Chinese and French directors stated their adherence to ethics that underpin genetic research.

The research will include the sequencing and functional research of some genomes, such as comparative research on the effect of the mutation of the human genome on diseases.

The deal represents the biggest ever cooperation program on scientific research between China and France.

"The establishment of the center is a milestone for scientific cooperation between the two countries, and research into life sciences and human genomes in particular has a positive future," said Claudie Haignete, vice-minister of the French Ministry of Science, at the ceremony.

The center will be based in the Ruijin Hospital under Shanghai No 2 Medical University. It was unveiled in April with the support of the Chinese and French governments.

The center pools research resources from four Chinese institutes such as the Shanghai-based Institute of Life Sciences under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and the China Human Genome Center. These resources are then shared with three national research institutions of France, including the French Academy of Sciences and the French Academy of Medical Research.

Researchers are currently working to identify the genes related to leukaemia and hepatitis.

"Since diseases challenge the health of people in all countries, China supports cooperation with other countries on human genome research on the basis of mutual respect and protecting intellectual property," said Chen Zhu, vice-president of the CAS, who is also director of China Human Genome Center at Shanghai.

China is rich in gene resources with its biogenetic resources accounting for 10 percent of the world's total. Genetic research has achieved rapid progress in recent years with about 6,000 researchers being involved in the sector.

China is the sixth country to join the world human genetic research program and the nation completed 1 percent of sequencing of the human genome.

(China Daily October 29, 2002)