Tom Aretz: "In 2007, XMU will support scientists exploring techniques in cardiovascular and oncological research at Harvard Medical School."

Research moves forward at Xinjiang Medical University

Thursday, November 2, 2006

In the past year Xinjiang Medical University (XMU) in Urumqi, China has made major strides in its quest to become a regional center of excellence for basic and clinical research.  In September, faculty from HMI visited XMU to help build on the institution’s recent advances in developing cardiovascular research, oncology research, and medical education programs.

XMU is a not-for-profit university with multiple affiliated teaching hospitals that provide medical education and clinical care to the people of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, an area in northwest China that is the country's largest province. The school partnered with HMI as part of its efforts to develop a robust research infrastructure that would incorporate global standards and protocols, and expose XMU researchers to new laboratory techniques and technologies. Last winter, three XMU scientists trained in the Cardiology Laboratory of Integrative Physiology and Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) under the direction of Roger Hajjar, MD, FAHA, FACC.

Hajjar was part of a four-person aculty team that recently visited XMU. He was joined by Tom Aretz, MD, HMI vice president of global programs; Steven Niemi, DVM, director of the Center for Comparative Medicine at MGH; and Akila Viswanathan, MD, MPH, assistant professor of radiation oncology at HMS and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Their visit coincided with the celebration of XMU’s fiftieth anniversary.

Since the HMI-XMU partnership began, Hajjar has advised XMU on the development of protocols for stem cell and gene therapy research, and Niemi has helped XMU to assess its research programs against international benchmarks, including the policies of AAALAC, the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care. The September visit gave the HMI faculty the opportunity to examine the work completed over the last several months. Viswanathan worked with radio-oncologists at XMU on new protocols and research guidelines in their area of focus.

XMU has already made significant progress in developing the core infrastructure necessary to support large-scale research initiatives. They have renovated much of their campus, constructed a spacious clinical skills building outfitted with state-of-the-art simulation technologies, and opened a new hospital. A research center will soon open and house XMU’s rapidly evolving cardiovascular research programs. The HMI faculty toured these facilities, as well as XMU’s animal breeding and research facilities, and the oncology department at the First Affiliated Hospital of XMU.

Dr. Yuemei Hou, who was one of the XMU researchers who worked in Hajjar’s laboratory last winter, remains involved with the HMI-XMU partnership. The visit by the HMI team, she said, was “a great opportunity to show HMI the work being done between our university and the hospital,” adding that she was eager to move current plans forward.

“We gained a better understanding of XMU’s current work and research projects at the First Affiliated Hospital, particularly in the area of oncology,” said Aretz. “One of our goals for the coming year will be to bring select scientists from XMU to Boston to learn techniques that will support cardiovascular and oncological research at XMU.”

XMU’s focus on cardiovascular research comes at a time when international observers of health are painting a grim picture of cardiovascular disease in China. In 2005, a World Health Organization report on chronic disease estimated that China stands to forego $558 billion in national income over the next 10 years as a result of premature deaths caused by heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. These diseases will fall heaviest on China’s working-age population, causing early retirements, absenteeism, and unanticipated draw-downs on medical insurance.