Professor Wei-Shou Hu from the University of Minnesota was invited to give a lecture at BioEngine

On the afternoon of October 21, 2016, at the invitation of our Professor Wensong Tan, a heavyweight guest, Professor Wei-Shou Hu from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota (USA), came from far away to teach a unique biology class to the researchers of our R&D center.

Professor Wei-Shou Hu is a pioneer in the field of animal cell engineering and has been applying this technology to genetic engineering research since the early 1980s. He has been awarded several honors, such as the McKnight Distinguished Professorship at the University of Minnesota in 1998 and the Marvin J. Johnson Award for Microbiological and Biochemical Science and Technology from the American Chemical Society in 2005. Professor Hu graduated from the Department of Agricultural Chemistry, National Taiwan University in 1974 and received his Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1983. For more than 30 years, Prof. Hu has published more than 300 papers and co-applied for more than ten patented technologies, which have contributed significantly to developing new pharmaceutical products.

At present, whether it is cell therapy, gene therapy or monoclonal antibody production, or vaccine production, to achieve substantial medical applications, the core of which is animal cell technology. As cell engineering technology research continues to progress, its prospects and benefits will become increasingly apparent. The theme of this lecture is centered on the history, development, and future of animal cell culture technology. With interesting language, Professor Hu talked about the history of animal cell technology research in the United States for half a century, from fermenters to wave bioreactors, from natural media to serum-free media, taking into account the rise and fall of local pharmaceutical companies in the United States. It can be said that Professor Hu played an important role as a promoter of animal cell culture from initially unnoticed to becoming a hot spot in the development of biology in the 21st century, and also led the development direction of the discipline.

After the lecture, Prof. Tan took a group photo with Prof. Hu and exchanged the current development status, problems faced, and personal insights in the field of animal cell engineering technology between China and the United States.

Prof. Tan (right) and Prof. Hu (left)