The Medical Research Centre (MRC) in Shenzhen University School of Medicine wasestablished in June 2015. MRChas established multidisciplinary research teams which cover both clinical and basic medicine. MRC,using the international standard has recruited many excellent Principal Investigators (PIs) from the Western Countries and China. The running model in MRC is also unique. We use integrated projects which focus on ‘diseases’ and ‘patients’as clues to form medical research teams including both clinicians and basic research scientists. Therefore, MRCis not only the platform for medical research, but also the bridge linking basic medical science to clinicalmedicine.

MRCcurrently consists ofsix research centres including Centre for Cancer Research, Center for Diabetes Obesity and Metabolism, Center for Nephrology and Urology, Center for Anti-Ageing and Regenerative Medicine, Centre for Allergy and Immunology Research,and National Engineering Center for Biotechnology.We are also planning to set upa Center for Biotherapyand MoleculeDiagnosis which will provide service for clinical studies.In addition, MRC plans to establishfive core shared libraries/banks including bio-bank, cell bank, bio-information database(genes and phenotypes), clinical database (for patientsin translational research), core global talent bank (providing networks for collaboration and consultation). Furthermore, we are setting up four common platforms including animal models, molecular imaging, innovating drugdevelopmentand molecular diagnosis. The above shared libraries/banksand platforms can provide services to the PIs within the centresfor the translationalmedicalstudies.

Shenzhen University is strengtheningthe construction of ‘high leveluniversity’.Building up a medical research centrewith excellent research performance is the one of topuniversity’s strategies.MRC in Shenzhen University School of Medicine represents a new advanced model for translationalmedical research which will help usto overcome the barrier between basic research and clinical medicine. We hope to achieve a leapfrog development in translationalmedical research in next 3-5 years and to build up a medical research centrewith international research excellence. This goal notonly fitsin Shenzhen University’s development strategies and also meetsthe international standardsfor current medical research which are cross-discipline, integrated, systemic, and precision medicine.