Protein and visual system information processing were but two of the topics that captivated more than 900 university students and researchers in Beijing yesterday.
The attendees were feasting on speeches from three Nobel Prize winners, from Germany and the United States.
Protein, membrane protein and their application in drugs were the themes for Germany's Robert Huber and Hartmut Michel, who shared the chemical prize in 1988.
Torsten Wiesel, the US Nobel laureate in 1981 for his contribution to visual system information processing, focused his one-hour speech on neuroscience.
In addition to contributing to yesterday's speeches, a batch of renowned scientists is scheduled to make presentations on various life science topics today.
Vice-Minister of Science and Technology Li Xueyong opened the two-day New Century Forum on Life Sciences, which was co-organized by the China National Center for Biotechnology Development and Beijing Pharma & Biotech Center.
Li said China needs to take a giant step to develop its biotechnology industry in the new era.
It is estimated that in the next 20 years, the biotechnology industry and related industries will generate more than 11 billion yuan (US$1.33 billion) in China annually.
To date, around 5,000 Chinese institutions and companies are dedicated to biotechnology and products.
Li said China's most prominent achievement in the field during recent years was developing the technology to breed high-yielding hybrid rice and transgenic cotton.
Progress has also been made in areas like recombinant drugs, gene-related critical diseases, gene therapy of malignant tumors and animal mammary-gland bio-reactors.
Modern biology will be a crucial branch of science in the new century because of its direct impact on human existence, health and social development, Li said.
However, some achievements in biotechnology cannot be converted into products due to inadequate investment in the country.
(China Daily February 19, 2003)
