Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center (BIOPIC) is a research institute at Peking University, originally named the Biodynamic Optical Imaging Center. Founded by the world-renowned biophysical chemist Xiaoliang Sunney Xie in 2010, BIOPIC is currently led by Dr. Zemin Zhang, a global leader in cancer genomics and bioinformatics. A technology-driven, multidisciplinary research hub, BIOPIC is dedicated to both developing and applying cutting-edge technologies to bridge the gap between academic research and clinical application, gaining global recognition for its pioneering innovations and impacts on improving human health.
Taking advantage of comprehensive disciplines and extensive clinical resources of Peking University and PKU Health Science Center, BIOPIC is tenaciously pushing the boundaries of knowledge in areas such as reproductive health, cancer diagnostics, gene editing, artificial intelligence, diagnostics and therapeutics of infectious diseases, and so on. Over the past decade, BIOPIC has established itself as a world-class research institute with breakthroughs including MALBAC babies, SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies and circular RNA vaccines, RNA editing tool LEAPER, and protein structure prediction toolkit MEGA-Protein. In 2016, with substantial support from the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, the Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics (ICG) was established with BIOPIC as its entity, marking a period of rapid development for the center. Aiming to synergize basic research, biotechnology, and medical applications, BIOPIC/ICG encourage our scientists to both collaborate with clinicians and commercialize their technologies. Successful technological transfers have been instrumental in the founding of seven biotech startups by BIOPIC researchers.
BIOPIC is a cross-disciplinary and highly-collaborative community of leading scientists. At present, our faculty includes 2 members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Distinguished Expert receiving the State Council's Special Allowance, 7 "Distinguished Young Scholars" and 8 "Chang Jiang Scholars”, hailing from diverse fields such as mathematics, computational chemistry, quantitative biology, single-molecular imaging and sequencing. Through the development and application of transformative technologies, BIOPIC is advancing scientific research and delivering solutions to challenges in the real world. Our diverse and inclusive environment has produced over 20 junior faculty members and technology entrepreneurs, reflecting our strong commitment to both recruiting and nurturing excellence.
To fulfill the “Healthy China” national strategy, BIOPIC endeavors to advance in the following areas: 1) AI-assisted protein structure prediction, 2) gene editing technology, 3) the Human Cell Atlas and next-generation single-cell technology, 4) diagnosis and treatment for major illnesses. The center strives to further promote “0 to 1” groundbreaking discoveries and “1 to N” research and development in industry. By expanding the frontiers of science and translating research innovations, BIOPIC is committed to making significant contributions to further China’s position in the global race for innovation.
