Laboratory Medicine

The Department of Clinical Laboratory of Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, is a domestically first-class medical laboratory department characterized by clinical testing, academic research, and education and teaching in neurological and geriatric diseases. It is also the supporting department of the Laboratory for Aging Biomarker Research of the National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Medicine and the Institute of Laboratory Medicine of the Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders; a participating PI unit of the Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases of the Ministry of Education and the Beijing Key Laboratory of Alzheimer’s Disease; and a Beijing clinical key specialty. For many consecutive years, it has ranked among the top five in the Fudan University rankings of laboratory medicine specialties (national) and in the North China ranking, and is one of the key disciplines prioritized for support by our hospital.

● National base for clinical testing and promotion of new technologies for nervous system diseases: The department has six professional groups—clinical chemistry, clinical immunology, clinical microbiology, clinical hematology and body fluids, cellular and molecular genetics, and neurological special testing—13 clinical laboratories, and one laboratory medicine research room. The department conducts more than 600 laboratory tests, and possesses a range of analytical technologies, including cell culture, gene sequencing, fluorescent immunoassay, mass spectrometry, equal-point confocal microscopy, microecological analysis, genomics, and proteomics. In recent years, it has launched more than 300 new laboratory tests and more than 180 neurological specialty tests, received 28 hospital awards for new technologies and new services, and successfully held the “National Training Course on Laboratory Technology for Nervous System Diseases” for nine consecutive years, training more than 1,500 participants from over 200 medical institutions nationwide. It has a relatively complete laboratory information system and standardized testing procedures, clearly defined laboratory zones, and strict biosafety management; it passed ISO 15189 accreditation in June 2008.

● Research on replicative senescence, Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers, and molecular mechanisms is at an internationally advanced level: The Department of Clinical Laboratory of Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, focuses its basic and applied basic research on aging biomarkers and molecular mechanisms and Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers and molecular mechanisms, and its main clinical research directions are molecular diagnosis of neuroinfections, thrombosis early-warning models, cerebrospinal fluid enzymology, and neuroimmune biomarkers. In recent years, it has established seven research teams in the above areas, comprising 3 doctoral supervisors, 1 master’s supervisor, 22 doctoral and master’s degree holders, and 18 doctoral and master’s students. It has received 1 key project and 12 general and young investigator projects from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, 12 provincial- and ministerial-level projects and talent programs, published 45 SCI papers (including 10 in Q1 journals and 1 highly cited paper), more than 200 papers in statistical-source journals, and 10 books as chief editor, chief translator, deputy chief editor, or deputy chief translator; 6 patents have been approved, and it has won 3 first prizes of the Beijing Science and Technology Progress Award. Its research on replicative senescence biomarkers and molecular mechanisms and on Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers and molecular mechanisms is at an internationally advanced level.

● Undergraduate teaching, construction of doctoral training sites, and postgraduate education rank among the best in Beijing and throughout the university: Our department is the supporting unit of the Experimental Diagnostics Teaching and Research Section of the First Clinical Medical College of Capital Medical University. Experimental Diagnostics was approved as a university-level quality course in 2012, and the “Development of the Experimental Diagnostics Online Course” won a university-level first prize for education and teaching. The teaching team received the title of “Excellent Teaching Team of Capital Medical University.” Professor Wang Peichang, the person in charge, and others have repeatedly received the titles of Excellent Supervisor and Excellent Teacher of Capital Medical University. Team members have obtained 15 university- and hospital-level teaching-reform projects, published more than 20 papers on teaching, and served as deputy chief editors or contributors to 10 various textbooks. In the assessment of 27 teaching and research sections of non-internship departments in the hospital, our Experimental Diagnostics Teaching and Research Section ranked first or second hospital-wide for five consecutive years. Our department also leads the Teaching and Research Section of Evidence-Based Medicine and the Joint Teaching and Research Section of Clinical Biochemistry Testing of Capital Medical University, and has successfully completed the organization of teaching for the above courses. Our department is a postdoctoral mobile station and a doctoral and master’s student training site for Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics of Capital Medical University. It offers 2 graduate courses and has trained 19 postdoctoral fellows, doctoral students, and master’s students, all of whom obtained the corresponding degrees. The doctoral dissertations of 50% of the graduates were nominated for the “Excellent Doctoral Dissertation of Capital Medical University.” There are currently 16 doctoral and master’s students enrolled. Our department is one of the standardized training bases for laboratory physicians and medical technologists in Beijing. It has trained 35 personnel, with a 100% completion rate, and ranked among the top three in Beijing in the horizontal assessment of the city’s standardized training bases.

● Discipline development ranks among the nation’s first-class echelon: Professor Wang Peichang, the discipline leader, is a corresponding member of the IFCC Committee on Molecular Diagnostics; a Standing Committee member of the Laboratory Medicine Branch of the Chinese Medical Association and leader of its Clinical Chemistry Group; a Standing Committee member of the Laboratory Physicians Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association and director of its Special Committee on AD Laboratory Diagnosis; deputy director of the Expert Committee on Laboratory Medicine of the Capacity Building and Continuing Education Training Center of the National Health Commission; director of the Expert Committee on Laboratory Medicine of the National Health Industry Enterprise Management Association; and incoming director of the Laboratory Medicine Branch of the Beijing Medical Association, among other positions. He serves as deputy editor-in-chief or editorial board member of 10 domestic and international journals, including the Chinese Journal of Laboratory Medicine, and has successively been selected for the Beijing Hospital Management Center’s “Peak Talent Training Program,” the “215 Talent Training Program,” and the Beijing Excellent Talent Training Program. Professors Wang Rong and Wang Wen, key members of the discipline, respectively serve as chairs or vice-chairs of multiple national- or provincial/municipal-level academic organizations. Associate Professor Liu Chenggeng and Associate Chief Physician Cao Jingrong, young key members of the discipline, respectively serve as youth members of the Laboratory Medicine Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, the Microbiology and Immunology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, and the Laboratory Physicians Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association. The discipline leader and key members collectively hold more than 100 positions or appointments in academic organizations and journals.