11/27/96
CONTACT: Thomas E. Wagner, Ohio University Edison Biotechnology Institute, 614-593-4713
ATHENS, Ohio -- Ohio University has signed an agreement with Tsinghua (CHING wha) University in Beijing, China to create a joint institute to study biotechnology and genetics.
The Ohio University/Tsinghua University Institute for Genetics and Biotechnology will pair scientists from both countries who will work together on a variety of projects, including studies to better understand the function of unknown genes, going a step beyond current studies involved in the Human Genome Project, said Thomas E. Wagner, distinguished professor of molecular and cellular biology and principal scientist with Ohio University's Edison Biotechnology Institute (EBI).
"Researchers in the Human Genome Project are looking at the sequence of the genes, but that doesn't provide information about genomic function," he said. "That's what we're going to be studying -- how genes function."
Wagner recently returned from a trip to China with university President Robert Glidden and other administrators. The agreement was signed during that November trip.
The institute will bring together the staff, students and faculty of the Edison Biotechnology Institute and Tsinghua University's Department of Biological Science and Biotechnology. The partnership is the first of its kind between a biotechnology unit at Tsinghua University and a foreign institute.
"Forming partnerships with other universities, both foreign and domestic, increases research opportunities for EBI," said David Wight, director of the Edison Biotechnology Institute. "Just as with trade and economic policy, international relationships and opportunities are becoming increasingly important in scientific endeavors. "
The Chinese government is working with Tsinghua University and two other Chinese institutes to position the universities as world-class centers of study and research, Wagner said.
"We will be working with the best minds in a country of 1.2 billion people," Wagner said. "Having an early association with this university will be a huge asset for Ohio University."