On November 25th, Prof.Jules Hoffmann, Nobel Prize laureate from the French Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) and senior leadership of GMU renewed the cooperation framework memorandum. The cooperation between both sides through Sino-French Hoffmann Institute (SFHI) has lasted for 12 years.
Signing ceremony held in GMU
Zhao Xingcun, President of GMU and Jules Hoffmann, Nobel laureate and Honorary Director of SFHI held a dialogue
CNRS is the largest government research institution in France and also the largest basic research institution in Europe, which was founded in 1939 and affiliated with the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research. CNRS is renowned for its outstanding scientific achievements and has so far cultivated 21 Nobel laureates and 12 Fields Medalists.
The University of Strasbourg, founded in 1538, is a multidisciplinary research university. It has so far cultivated 18 Nobel laureates and 1 Fields Medalist in its glorious history.
In 2013, GMU signed a Memorandum of Understanding pre-established the creation of a collaborative program with CNRS and the University of Strasbourg.
On October 12, 2013, GMU inaugurated the Sino-French Hoffmann Institute (SFHI) on Panyu Campus.
In 2017, GMU and University of Strasbourg signed a jointly cultivating agreement for double doctoral degrees.
In 2018, the " Overseas Expertise Introduction Center for Research on Innate Immunity Mechanisms" was established.
In 2022, the National Drosophila Resource Center of China (NDRCC) was established, SFHI served as a major center.
In 2023, a national key project titled "Molecular Mechanisms of Innate Immunity against Infectious (Bacterial & Viral) and Non-infectious (Tumoral) Diseases Using Drosophila as a Model" was approved.
SFHI’s research focuses on innate immunity mechanisms, with Drosophila as the main model, covering topics including innate immunity against viruses, bacteria, fungi, tumors, aging, and immune system homeostasis. Over the past decade, the institute has achieved breakthroughs continuously in the field of immunology through Sino-foreign cooperation. Scientists in SFHI have established a new model for the study of innate immune response against cancer cells in Drosophila, discovered new innate immune receptors that recognizing tumors and viruses, and expanded the innate immune antiviral mechanism research across different species. Their results have been published in top journals such as Nature, Immunity, and PNAS.