Fei Fan, a foreign scientist of the Chinese Academy of Sciences: How stem cell research is "linked" to environmental health research

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Editor's note: The "Hong Discussion" interview program is jointly produced by the Journal of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the China Internet News Center, and through interviews with academicians and experts and scholars of the chinese academies, it deeply explores the development of Chinese society in various fields into the "14th Five-Year Plan". With objective and accurate interpretation, scientific and forward-looking thinking, we will solve problems for China's development standing at the intersection of the "two hundred years" history and contribute wisdom to the second centennial goal.

Chong's discussion, looking for a strategy, asked.

With the construction of a beautiful China and the proposal of the "double carbon" goal, topics such as environmental pollution, carbon emissions, and animal welfare have become increasingly hot in the process of China's development. In the world of science and technology, researchers are also constantly striving to find ways to solve problems in related fields. Francesco Faiola is an expert in stem cell biology from Italy, and after being introduced to the Chinese Academy of Sciences full-time as an overseas talent in 2014, he focused on the study of human health risks of environmental pollutants and established the first research platform in the world to use stem cells to assess the health effects of environmental pollutants. How is stem cell research "linked" to environmental health research? What kind of system guarantees the welfare of animals in experiments? How does Fei Fan, who recently got his "China Green Card", feel about working and living in China? In response to these problems, the program "Hong Discussion" interviewed Fei Fan, who is currently a researcher at the State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology (hereinafter referred to as the "Key Laboratory") and the leader of the Stem Cell Toxicology Research Group of the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

China.com: After coming to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, you established the world's first research platform for using stem cells to assess the health effects of environmental pollutants. Could you please tell us about why the use of pluripotent stem cells for environmental toxicology research was proposed? What research achievements has the platform achieved in early warning of potential environmental pollutants? What is the role of promoting the realization of China's "double carbon" goal?

Fei Fan: Environmental pollution and health is one of the research directions of the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. When joining the Key Laboratory, I first want to make sure that my research direction is consistent with it and combine it with my expertise in pluripotent stem cells and molecular biology, especially the direction of environmental health, which is the trend of future development. Therefore, after much deliberation, I decided to set up a stem cell toxicology research group and use stem cell differentiation models to evaluate the toxicity of a variety of environmental pollutants in vitro.

In recent years, with the help of the Key Laboratory, I have participated in a number of national and Chinese Academy of Sciences-level scientific research projects, solving several technical bottlenecks in environmental toxicology and stem cell biology research. A series of stem cell toxicology evaluation models were also established to elucidate the toxic effects and mechanisms of various environmental pollutants, especially the toxic development stages on important tissues and organs such as the human central nervous system, heart, liver, lungs, and pancreas. Our stem cell toxicology research system does not require the use of animal experimental models, so it does not involve animal ethics and welfare issues, and can effectively avoid species differences that may affect toxicological evaluation. Safe, efficient and relatively inexpensive, this system has been widely used in environmental toxicology and healthcare.

In order to promote China to achieve the "double carbon" goal, it is first necessary to promote the development of relevant domestic basic research supporting industries, based on the domestic cycle, and accelerate the cultivation of new advantages in participating in international cooperation and competition. For example, in toxicology research, the use of stem cell in vitro toxicology models developed by us is in line with the international initiative to replace animal testing with in vitro toxicity testing, which can not only accelerate the progress of toxicity testing, but also reduce large and complex animal testing facilities, and to a certain extent, help China achieve the "double carbon" goal. Focusing on environmental health research, how to strengthen the governance of environmental pollutants by formulating and implementing new pollutant control action plans is the core of environmental pollution and health research, which will help the "double carbon" goal to be efficiently advanced.

China.com: In stem cell biology research, in what ways do you think China currently lags behind the international advanced level? How should further research development be conducted?

Fei Fan: China is indeed developing at a high speed and is in a leading position in many scientific and technological fields. That's why I came to China. However, there are still some areas for improvement in China. For example, sometimes it takes a long time to procure materials and reagents, and the price can be very expensive, which can slow down the research process. In addition, the degree of freedom in the use of scientific research funds is not large, especially in the field of basic research. From the beginning of the application for the fund, the application needs to state each specific experimental plan and the allocation of research funds. Once the experimental results are biased, we cannot easily modify the previous assumptions and research budgets and carry out different experiments and analyses accordingly. Having said that, I have noticed that China is gradually improving in this regard and has more room for freedom.

In addition, China should attract more international and domestic talents. It can't just be about providing good treatment, for me good working conditions and research funding are more important than salaries. So, we need to attract proactive talent so that they can stay in their jobs for a long time, not those who only pursue high incomes and leave after a few years.

China.com: You have constructed a multi-organ directed differentiation system for mouse/human embryonic stem cells in your research, without the need for animals as experimental models. Can you briefly introduce the positive effects of establishing such a research system? Is there a possibility that the current system will be extended to other disciplines?

Fei Fan: First of all, it is very important to identify the potential harms of synthetic chemicals to human health, especially during embryonic development, because humans are most sensitive to these hazards. Although developmental toxicology has always been based on live animal experiments, animal experiments face many problems such as high cost, time-consuming and laborious, and are not suitable for high-throughput applications. After all, humans are different from animals, and the results of animal testing cannot always be applied to the human body. In addition, stem cells can essentially be induced to differentiate into any type of normal tissue and organ cells in vitro, so normal development and regeneration can be simulated. Therefore, the human stem cell differentiation system can be used for developmental toxicity evaluation. Compared to animal experiments, this method is relatively easy and inexpensive, allowing for faster culture of large numbers of cells for detection. Because of this, we can perform large-scale tests at the same time without worrying about interspecific differences.

At present, the multidirectional differentiation system of human stem cells has been widely and efficiently applied to toxicology research, and can be extended to biomedical fields such as preclinical drug screening.

China.com: You also undertake a series of teaching and talent training work at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and have trained a number of masters/doctors/postdocs. In the field of scientific research talent training, do you have any experience and suggestions to share?

Fei Fan: I firmly believe that the role of a teacher or mentor is not just to teach students new information, new knowledge; we need to ensure a relaxed and enjoyable learning process. It is also necessary to understand each student's professional background and skills, as well as their plans for the future, to guide them to become good scientists.

I think the most important thing for students to do research is enthusiasm, motivation and teamwork. In addition, they need to have the courage to face difficulties, because academic and scientific research is not always smooth sailing. However, as long as you persevere, there will always be something to gain. In addition, no matter what age we are, we should have the courage to start from scratch and change the field of study at the right time – to do what we love, to be passionate about it, and to believe that our dreams will eventually come true. In my scientific career, I have also experienced many ups and downs, changed many fields, but I persevered, never gave up, and finally got a return.

China.com: How did you feel about getting your "China Green Card" recently? What made you choose to stay in China?

Fei Fan: I have been living in China for almost six or seven years, and I have always wanted to get a "China Green Card" because it will make it more convenient for me to live here. Although the initial process was somewhat complicated, with the help of my staff, I got my green card at the beginning of the year. Yes, I'm very happy because it allows me to be almost like other Chinese colleagues, and I can do the same thing with them. Most importantly, it will be more convenient for me to return home, I don't need to apply for a new visa every time, and it will be easy for my family to visit me in China.

When I first came to China, I didn't know much about Chinese culture. But ever since I arrived in China, I've been deeply struck by China's development, and I'm really happy living and working in China, not only because I can do research, but also because I can enjoy life here. I think Chinese food is delicious. I'm Italian and Italian food is delicious, but I also love Chinese food, and there are a lot of similarities between the two. I am learning how to make Chinese food. Of course, I won't say Chinese yet, because it's a little difficult to learn Chinese, but it doesn't prevent me from enjoying life in China. I would like to especially thank the key laboratory, especially the laboratory leader Academician Jiang Guibin and Director Zheng Minghui for the help they have given me personally and to the research team, without which the results of stem cell toxicology would not have been achieved today.

(This issue is planned by: Yang Liuchun and Wang Zhenhong; Editors: Yang Liuchun, Wang Zhenhong, Xu Lin, Wang Qian, Dai Kejie [Mei]; Editors: Yan Bin, Wang Qian, Wu Yinan; English Text/Translation: Yan Bin, Jin Ling; Camera/Post-production: Zhu Faxai.) Producer: Journal of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Internet News Center; Producer: China Net, China Development Portal)