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Introduction

Foreword by Jie He

Cancer research in China has advanced rapidly and achieved exciting results in the past 10 years, especially in Beijing. The city has always been a cancer research hub, which contributed innovative ideas to many hot topics at the research frontier, playing a leading role in international and domestic studies.

According to statistics from Elsevier, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) awarded $155 million in grants to cancer research in Beijing in the years 2010-2018. In the past 10 years, 100 institutions in Beijing have published within the disciplines of oncology and cancer research.

The top 15 collaborating institutions with co-authored oncology and cancer publications in Beijing between 2010 and 2019 are:

  • Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
  • Peking University
  • Capital Medical University
  • University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • Ministry of Education, China
  • Ministry of Health of People’s Republic
    of China
  • General Hospital of People’s Liberation Army
  • CAS-Institute of Biophysics
  • Academy of Military Medical Sciences
  • Tsinghua University
  • CAS-Institute of Automation
  • CAS-Institute of Zoology
  • Chinese Center for Disease Control
    and Prevention
  • Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.

Oncology and cancer research output in Beijing grew 277% from 873 publications in 2010 to 3,287 in 2019. Between 2010 and 2019, Beijing’s publication and citation performance were also outstanding, with 22,468 published papers, 95,364 participating authors worldwide, 17.1 citations per publication, and 1.05 field-weighted citation impact.

The number of patents globally citing Beijing’s oncology research reached 1,480, accounting for 28% of China citing-patent count. A total of 519 published oncology research from Beijing were cited by patents, accounting for 22% of China patent-cited output. The count of oncology or cancer-related patents filed in Beijing with the USPTO or WIPO reached 362, accounting for 14% of China patent output. According to Elsevier’s indicators, such as field-weighted citation index, international collaboration rate, and the publications in the top 10% journals, Beijing’s performance in oncology and cancer research has surpassed international and domestic averages and the city has climbed the ranks and taken the lead.

A total of 519 published oncology research from Beijing were cited by patents, accounting for 22% of China patent-cited output.

Researchers in Beijing have excelled in tumor genetics and genomics research, proteomics research, single-cell sequencing, tumor immunity and immunotherapy, tumor epidemiology, and big data research and application. In the field of tumor genetics and genomics research, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences led studies in esophageal cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, and colorectal cancer; Peking University piloted hepatocellular and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma research; Beijing Tiantan Hospital steered secondary glioblastoma studies; and recently, the Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and National Protein Science Center (Beijing) have combined genomics and proteomics to analyze the characteristics of lung adenocarcinoma in the Chinese population.

For the first time, these studies systematically revealed the inherited genetic mutations that correlated to common solid tumors in the Chinese population and discovered molecules related to tumor occurrence, development, and clinical prognosis. The research provided a theoretical and practical basis for revealing pathogenesis, molecular typing, molecular markers, determining and developing clinical drug targets, and formulating precise diagnosis and treatment plans.

In the field of single-cell sequencing, a research team at Peking University identified distinct myeloid populations through combined scRNA-seq analyses on the tumor microenvironment in human colorectal cancer and murine tumor models. They found heterogeneity and interactions in key cells that regulate tumor immunity, revealing a new mechanism for myeloid-targeted immunotherapy in colorectal cancer. In tumor immunity and immunotherapy, scientists at Tsinghua University have made breakthroughs in the basic research of tumor immunology and discovered new targets for vaccine adjuvants.

There have been 7,001 cancer-related clinical trials across China since January 1, 2010, and 2,121 of those were carried out in Beijing.

In the field of clinical research, according to numbers from the US clinical trial website (www.clinicaltrials.gov), there have been 7,001 cancer-related clinical trials across China since January 1, 2010, and 2,121 of those were carried out in Beijing, accounting for nearly one-third (30.3%) of the total. Tumor immunotherapies that are currently in the spotlight include T cell immunomodulators and cell therapy. The immune checkpoint regulators PD-1 and PD-L1 are the most common targets, of which eight related products are already on the market in China. Under the leadership of the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, the first China-developed PD-1 monoclonal antibody and HPV vaccine was approved by NMPA. Since 2011, when the National Cancer Center was established in Beijing, the center has set up a series of cohort studies on cancers, such as lung cancer and esophageal cancer, and multiple population- based cancer screening projects for the early detection of upper gastrointestinal cancer, lung cancer, and esophageal cancer.

These efforts not only took the initial step in characterizing risk factors for common cancers in the Chinese populations, but also evaluated the efficacy of current strategy on cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment in China. With the aid of big data, the National Cancer Center is continuously expanding and updating the national cancer registration and monitoring network, the national cancer prevention and control platform, the national cancer quality control platform, the national anti-tumor drug monitor system, and the national cancer data platform. The center aims to build a comprehensive and multi-dimensional network for cancer prevention, treatment, and control in the whole country, with the purpose of promoting the construction of national cancer biobank and sharing of the national cancer resource while laying a solid foundation for the nation’s clinical research on malignant tumors in the future.

The center aims to build a comprehensive and multi-dimensional network for cancer prevention, treatment, and control in the whole country.

This introduction mentions only a few Beijing scientist research results due to word limits. Please refer to the Cell.com website for other related papers.

Cell Press and the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission have collected 10 representative papers published by Chinese scholars in the Cell Press journals, conducted in-depth interviews with extraordinary scientists in Beijing, and analyzed cancer research development in the area. The editors have organized a special issue, “Excellence in Oncology & Cancer Research in Beijing,” to demonstrate the advancement of cancer research in the past 10 years and to reflect the work and effort of Chinese scientists in the field from a new angle.

2020 has been a challenging year, but China has overcome hardship through hard work. At the beginning of the new year, I would like to extend my highest respect and best wishes to all of you who care about and support cancer research, to colleagues who are fighting at the front line of cancer research, cancer prevention, and control, and to my retired friends who have contributed to the field! 2021 is the first year of the “14th Five-Year Plan,” so let us continue to strive with faith and courage to work towards a healthy China and contribute to the innovation and development of cancer research worldwide!

Jie He
Director of National Cancer Center
Director of Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences