Recently, the Hunan Provincial Department of Science and Technology officially announced the list of basic discipline research centers for 2025 in Hunan Province. The "Hunan Provincial Center for Basic Research on Mitochondrial Homeostasis Regulation," led by University of South China in its application, has successfully been approved. The establishment of this center marks another significant milestone in the university's strategic layout in fundamental research, leveraging its distinctive strengths in integrating nuclear medicine with medical science, focusing on cutting-edge life sciences and national major strategic needs. It signifies a more solid step forward by the university in serving the vision of "Three Highs and Four New" initiatives and the construction of a "Healthy China."
Mitochondria, serving as the cell's "power plant" and "signaling hub," are closely associated with the pathogenic mechanisms of major diseases such as aging, neurodegenerative disorders, metabolic syndromes, and cancer through their homeostatic regulatory mechanisms. The center leverages the strengths of key disciplines at USC, including basic medicine and nuclear science and technology, focusing on critical scientific issues concerning mitochondrial structural and functional homeostasis. It systematically conducts cutting-edge fundamental research and core technological breakthroughs, aiming to achieve original results in elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying mitochondrial quality control, dynamic balance maintenance, and disease development due to abnormal regulation, thereby providing theoretical foundations and technical support for early warning, precise diagnosis, and targeted therapy of related diseases.
USC attaches great importance to the construction of fundamental disciplines and the enhancement of original innovation capabilities. The recent approval of a provincial-level fundamental discipline research center is an important manifestation of the university's in-depth implementation of the national strategy to strengthen basic research and promote interdisciplinary integration, as well as a critical move in the context of the university’s“Double First-Class”initiative, particularly in the field of nuclear medicine integration. Seizing this opportunity, the university will continuously increase support for the center’s development, providing priority allocation in talent recruitment and cultivation, resource distribution, and infrastructure support, striving to establish the center as a leading domestic and internationally influential research hub in mitochondrial homeostasis regulation. This will contribute“USC wisdom”and“USC strength”to serving the national strategies of“Healthy China”and“Science and Technology Powerhouse,”as well as promoting high-quality development of Hunan Province’s biopharmaceutical industry.
It is reported that the Hunan Provincial Basic Science Research Center is an essential component of Hunan Province's scientific and technological innovation system. It primarily focuses on fundamental disciplines such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and medicine, as well as cutting-edge interdisciplinary fields, aiming to identify major scientific questions and carry out systematic and forward-looking research. The goal is to enhance the province's foundational research capabilities and original innovation capacity, and to cultivate strategic scientific and technological forces. A total of six provincial-level basic science research centers were approved across the province this time, and the "Hunan Provincial Basic Science Research Center for Mitochondrial Homeostasis Regulation" is the first such center approved at the university level.
