"Dear Academician Li Jingsong, all the teachers and students of HIAS are very pleased to hear that you have been elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. We would like to extend our warmest congratulations..." The red congratulatory letter on the homepage of the Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study (HIAS), UCAS catches the attention of every visitor. With research results published onCell, widely cited by Nobel laureates and included in textbooks, Li Jingsong, Chief Professor of the School of Life and Health of HIAS, was newly elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on November 18, 2021.
As the "helmsman" of the HIAS Chief Professor Lab, Academician Li is never daunted by his tiresome commute between Shanghai and Hangzhou. Every morning, he leaves Shanghai before sunrise to arrive on time for work in HIAS. When the laboratory had just been established, Professor Li would discuss with the team about the progresses, the problems to be solved, and the matters to push ahead.With regard to the research at the lab, he always reminds the team of the questions that require further contemplation and the points that could use some divergent thinking. "We often discuss for hours with scarcely any rest. Everyone could tell that he is very passionate about the work. His unwavering devotion and passion for scientific research has left a deep impression on us. He is a role model for us all." said Huang Chao, associate research fellow of Academician Li's Lab.
Is it possible to breed "mice without fathers"? The idea may sound like a fantasy, yet it has become the core issue of Li and his team's characteristic project. According to Huang, embryonic development requires the combination of sperm and egg cells, but Li's team succeeded in breeding healthy mice by developing "sperm-like stem cells" from embryos that only carried sperm genetic material and then injecting them into eggs. This was a first in the world. Thanks to the team's continuous improvement of the system, the "sperm-like stem cells" now have the advantages of high proficiency and fast speed in gene editing, and could be used for gene editing in a large scale.
In the end, the semi-cloning technology mediated by sperm-like stem cells was published in the world's top academic journalCell in 2012. It attracted much attention from peers all over the world and was included in China's top ten scientific achievements that year.Is the same true for haploid cells in eggs from females? Li was curious. At a result, the team found from eggs haploid embryonic stem cells that could replace sperm, and bred healthy mice with no father, but two mothers, in the laboratory.
Huang Chao followed Li in scientific research from University of Science and Technology of China to Westlake University and then to HIAS. He said that he felt fortunate about it, and that it has been a meaningful journey. "Professor Li's gene editing technology can solve many difficult problems in immunological research, such as mouse humanization and tumor immunotherapy." The team combines gene editing with immunology to simulate human genetic diseases for the purpose of finding disease targets and seeking effective treatment. Their ultimate goal is to prevent and control human diseases.
The semi-cloning technology has profound significance, yet Academician Li Jingsong's research covers even more grounds.
Currently, the Human Genome Project has mapped most genes of the human genome, revealing more than 22,000 protein-coding genes. The research of proteins usually relies on available antibodies. However, the antibodies are either expensive or lacking, which causes great trouble for subsequent research. Li Jingsong has an idea for solving this problem. "He proposed the 'Genome Labeling Project'," said Mr. Huang, "It helps us pinpoint proteins. It's like the BeiDou Navigation System in cells." The program has begun with the support of the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality, and 1,885 label cells have been constructed.
Li Jingsong insists on teaching in class, instructs students personally, and cares about their study and life. The teachers and students in HIAS who are familiar with Li have a high opinion of him, "Though Professor Li is very busy, he always pays attention to his students. He actively cultivates talents, conducts scientific research and serves society. He is a remarkable teacher with both integrity and talent, a role model that everyone should learn from." His student Lei Yuchen still remembers the first time he met Academician Li, "Professor Li was very friendly and easy-going. He asked me patiently about my research interest and my plan for life, offered me guidance and many suggestions, and introduced me to an amazing senior at once, so that I could have someone to guide me."
Every student in a laboratory is bound to go through the process of literature review, coming up with a problem, finding a solution, and verifying the solution with experiments. Li has his own method when it comes to instructing students. He improves the efficacy of instruction through student groups and regular communication. He asks his students to discuss and study problems in groups and share their difficulties and confusions with him regularly. When students encounter difficulties they cannot solve, he usually refrains from providing a direction solution, but instead offers a general direction for them to work on, so as to inspire the students to find the solutions themselves. "Postgraduate education focuses more on training independence and comprehensive ability. Sometimes all a student needs is a 'pivot', not the answer." says Huang Chao, who has learned a lot from the way Li trains his students.
Li also teaches a course named "Cell Biology" in HIAS. He cherishes every opportunity to teach. "Professor Li always has a way of explaining the most complicated things in the simplest manner." says Jia Miao, a graduate student in his class, "He often explains to us the meaning of science and life through sharing his own experiences, so that we not only get to acquire knowledge, but may also learn a thing or two about what it means to be a person and to do scientific research. In his class, I can feel the greatness of science. The knowledge which may appear quite easy to understand could be the life's work of a scientific researcher."
To the teachers and students, though Li is very busy, he cares deeply about the study and life of each student. Cai Xindong, a graduate student enrolled in 2020, feels fortunate to be instructed by Li. In November 2020, Cai went to Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology to participate in the "Chromosome Engineering" project. "I was not provided with accommodation for my internship in Shanghai. It was Professor Li that sorted it out for me." What surprised Cai more was that he received an invitation from Li to celebrate the Chinese New Year together with Li's family, when he could not go home for the Spring festival due to the project and the epidemic. Later, he found out that it is a "happy treatment" exclusive for Professor Li's students. Every year on Chinese New Year's Eve, Li would invite all the students who could not go home to have a feast at his own place and have a merry time together.
"Professor Li is always very considerate. He is a truly admirable person and the beacon of our academic career." To Lei Yuchen, Li is always "brimming" with academic enthusiasm. He learns a lot from every conversation with Professor Li, "He tells us not to be afraid of mistakes in scientific research. He says that we should always step out of the 'comfort zones' in life and try new things, rather than develop a habit of 'gliding down the easy path', that most of the time one could achieve something greater if one could just give it a push and hold on for a little longer."
Reporter | Jiang Xuchen, Yan Lihui and Lou Wei
Typesetter | Yu Xuan Executive Editor | Jiang Xuchen
