On March 22nd, Beijing Brain Science and Brain-like Brain Research Center (hereinafter referred to as 'Beijing Center') was officially established in Beijing, Beijing Municipal Government and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Academy of Military Sciences, Peking University, Tsinghua University, Beijing Normal University, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Eight institutions of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine jointly signed the "Beijing Brain and Brain-like Research Center Construction Cooperation Framework Agreement." Professor Rao Yi, Director of the Department of Science of Peking University and Luo Minmin, Senior Researcher of the Beijing Institute of Biological Sciences serve as the co-director of the research center.
The Beijing Center will become one of the first concrete projects of the Chinese Brain Science Research Project. This is another important brain project following the European Human Brain Project, the American Brain Program, and the Japanese Brain/Thinking Program.
The top neuroscientists gathered, the supply of animal models was sufficient, the burden of national brain mental illness and the establishment of brain imaging facilities and other factors accelerated the implementation of the Chinese brain plan. 'The brain is a complex system,' Katrin Amunts, European Research Director of Brain Projects Said, 'China's work may provide important insights for other projects.'
Plan is in progress
Luo Minmin is responsible for leading about 50 key researchers who will set up labs in the center of Beijing. Rao Yi is responsible for external funding to support the cost of about 100 researchers across the country. Luo Minmin said that the organization and scientific scope of the Beijing Center and the United States The Mental Health Institute (major American brain science funder) is similar.
Beijing Center will become Beijing's premier biomedical institution. It will support projects that use the latest biomedical methods, such as high-throughput single-gene sequencing, accurate genome editing, and big data processing. Luo Minmin also hopes to develop better imaging tools, such as A voltage sensor and a high-speed imaging microscope that can record neuronal activity directly for detailed understanding of brain activity.
This year, Luo Minmin plans to recruit the first batch of research teams (5-6) through the RMB 180 million provided by the Beijing Municipal Government. He plans to complete the work of 50 researchers in 5 years and expects to spend 400 million RMB per year to guarantee the country. The normal implementation of brain science projects.
Luo Minmin said that this will be the 'implementation point' of the Chinese brain project. Since the start of the US and European plans, the Chinese brain plan has been under planning. During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, brain and brain-like research was incorporated into the 'Technology'. “Innovation 2030 - Major Projects” will focus on the principle of brain cognition, use brain-like computing and brain-machine intelligence, diagnosis and treatment of major brain diseases as two wings, build a key technology platform, and seize the forefront of research in the field of brain science.
Talent allocation is a challenge
At the same time, other centers are also actively supporting the Chinese brain plan. In 2015, Shanghai initiated the 'brain science-based artificial intelligence' project, organized scientific research personnel to carry out application-industry-oriented collaborative innovation, and actively participated in China’s national major science and technology project. Chief scientist of the project, Feng Jianfeng, director of Fudan University’s Institute of Brain Power Science and Technology, said that one of their focuses is to use artificial intelligence (AI) to study brain diseases. He also added that artificial intelligence algorithms can Screen images to compare diseased and healthy brains to form part of the world's largest brain database.
Mu Ming Poo, director of the Shanghai Institute of Neuroscience, plays a key role in the Chinese brain plan. The mesoscopic connectivity group plan he designed will also become an integral part of the Chinese brain plan. The so-called connection group is Refers to the map of the connections between the neurons in the brain that have spatial resolutions that are at the level of the individual neurons. This type of 'mesoscopic' or 'microscopic' level of connectivity can push our understanding of the neural network in the brain to the greatest extent.
The formation of a talented echelon may be the biggest challenge for individual centers and Chinese brain science projects. Neuroscientist Jeffrey Erlich of the New York University Shanghai campus said that in addition to recruiting top neuroscientists, the brain science program also needs to fund postdoctoral positions and provide internationally competitive compensation. Posts. 'This will prompt a flood of top students in neuroscience. In 5 to 10 years, China may produce a group of top young scientists.'