Li Zaiping (; 17 August 1925 – 30 May 2018) was a Chinese

molecular biologist Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and physi ...

considered a pioneer in genetic science and engineering in China. His research team was the first in China to sequence a

virus genome A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Since Dmitri Ivanovsky's 18 ...

. He also utilized ''E. coli'' to produce human EGF and GM-CSF, and identified the gene LPTS. He was a professor at the

Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology The Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences are a research institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in Shanghai, established on July 3, 1999. When it was created, it was one of four basic science research institutions of China. The organi ...

and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Biography

Li was born in Beijing on 17 August 1925. He graduated from the Department of Chemistry of

Peking University Peking University (PKU; ) is a public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education. Peking University was established as the Imperial University of Peking in 1898 when it received its royal charter ...

in 1947, and became a lecturer of biochemistry at PKU. In 1956, he was admitted as a graduate student to the

Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry The Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences are a research institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People ...

, where he studied under the academician

Cao Tianqin Cao Tianqin (; 5 December 1920 – 8 January 1995), also known as Tien-chin Tsao, was a Chinese biochemist and a professor at the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry. With a research focus on muscle protein, he discovered the myosin light chain ...

. After graduation in 1960, he founded China's first laboratory for molecular DNA and genetics research at the Shanghai institute. He became a full professor in 1977. Li's group was the first to sequence the full genomic DNA of pADR-1, the most prevalent subtype of hepatitis B virus in China. It was the first time a

was sequenced in China. The research resulted in the development of a highly effective recombinant hepatitis B vaccine. In another project, he utilized a secretive

gene expression Gene expression is the process by which information from a gene is used in the synthesis of a functional gene product that enables it to produce end products, protein or non-coding RNA, and ultimately affect a phenotype, as the final effect. The ...

system in '' Escherichia coli'' to produce human EGF and human GM-CSF, both of which have been approved for medical use. He also identified a new gene called liver-related putative tumor suppressor (LPTS) in chromosome 8p23. He published more than 200 research papers and won more than 10 national and international prizes including the first-class National Prize of Progress in Science and Technology (three times) and the

Ho Leung Ho Lee Prize The Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation (HLHL, ) is a Hong Kong-based non-government organisation which annually bestows prizes upon Chinese scientists. It was established on 30 March 1994, with funds donated from the charitable foundations of Ho Sin Han ...

for Life Sciences. He was elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 1996. Li died at

Zhongshan Hospital Zhongshan Hospital (), formerly Chung Shan Memorial Hospital, is a major teaching hospital in Shanghai, China, affiliated with the Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University. History The hospital was built in 1935 and officially opened on 1 A ...

in Shanghai on 30 May 2018, aged 92.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Zaiping 1925 births 2018 deaths Chemists from Beijing National University of Peking alumni Academic staff of Peking University Members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Chinese biochemists Chinese geneticists Engineers from Beijing Educators from Beijing Biologists from Beijing