Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences was founded in July 1999 by merging eight biological science institutes in Shanghai.
The move will see the company upgrade its technical capability in product innovation and expand cooperation between industry and the academia, BY-HEALTH said in an announcement.
Each party will nominate a person-in-charge for the centre and the centre will be led by the two nominees.
Three key steps
According to BY-HEALTH, the partnership will focus on three key steps.
It will firstly set up an evaluation system that examines the degree of ageing, as well as a database to store the related information.
The evaluation will look at areas such as homeostasis, DNA methylation, biomarkers found in the blood of aged population, multi-omics related to ageing, and a model to evaluate the degree of ageing.
The information derived from the research will also be stored in a library and presented in graphs.
The other step is to select raw materials beneficial for anti-ageing and to co-develop anti-ageing health products.
There are also plans to conduct in-vitro test, and clinical studies involving animals and humans.
Anti-ageing focus
As seen from BY-HEALTH’s recent list of announcements, anti-ageing is a key theme that the firm has set in its partnerships with other firms.
With both Fonterra and DuPont Nutrition, it will look at anti-ageing solutions and probiotics that can provide different health benefits, such as anti-ageing, skin, and oral health.
Ageing in China
China is facing an ageing population and a longer life expectancy.
According to a 2015 report by the World Health Organisation, by 2040, the proportion of population aged 60 and above will increase to 28%. This age group made up only 12.4% of the population in 2010.
The population is also living longer. By 2030, the life expectancy of Chinese women will be 79, while that of men at 76.
The report noted that chronic diseases are likely to become more common as the population ages.
Citing research statistics, the firm said that more than 100 million out of 202 million old people was suffering from at least one type of chronic disease.
