On October 30, Professor Yan Ning, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, President of the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation, and Director of the Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, was invited to visit Shanghai Jiao Tong University. At Wenzhi Hall on the Xuhui Campus, she delivered a lecture as part of the “SJTU Master Forum | Huizhi Lecture Series,” where she shared her latest scientific research achievements and reflections. She also engaged in in-depth discussions with students from the School of Artificial Intelligence, School of Automation and Intelligent Sensing, School of Computer Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Zhiyuan College, School of Psychology, and School of Medicine. The lecture was hosted by Professor Wang Yanfeng, Executive Dean of the School of Artificial Intelligence.
At Wenzhi Hall, Professor Yan delivered a lecture titled “From Sugar Transporters to Glyco-conjugated Ion Channels.” Centered on the new paradigm “CryoSeek,” she systematically elaborated on her team’s latest research progress in the high-resolution structural analysis of glycoconjugates. She noted that carbohydrates are the most abundant biological macromolecules on Earth, yet research in their structural biology has long lagged behind that of proteins and nucleic acids. By establishing the CryoSeek research system, her team successfully obtained high-resolution structures of multiple glycoconjugate molecules with advanced structural assembly features, revealing new patterns in glycan stereochemistry. This achievement not only deepens understanding of the biological functions of glycoconjugates but also provides an important structural basis for studying disease mechanisms and developing new drugs.
The lecture attracted a large audience of faculty and students. During the “Dialogue with the Master” session, participants actively engaged with Professor Yan, raising questions related to the lecture as well as broader research topics in biology, medicine, and artificial intelligence. When discussing the role of AI in scientific research, Professor Yan emphasized that artificial intelligence is profoundly transforming the research paradigm of structural biology. Using her team’s work as an example, she explained how AI algorithms are applied in cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) image processing, successfully boosting structural analysis efficiency from “one structure every two weeks” to “more than a dozen structures in a single day,” thereby realizing truly high-throughput research and greatly enhancing scientific productivity.
In addition, Professor Yan highlighted that the interaction between AI and biology is bidirectional. On one hand, “AI for Science” is accelerating the pace of scientific discovery; on the other hand, “Biology for AI” is equally significant, as the highly efficient information-processing structures evolved in biological brains over billions of years may inspire future innovations in AI algorithms and hardware. This mutual empowerment is shaping a new paradigm for scientific research.
At the end of the event, a student representative presented Professor Yan with souvenirs from the “Master Forum” and the “Huizhi Lecture Series,” expressing heartfelt gratitude for her visit and inspiring sharing.
The lecture, with its clear and engaging delivery, not only showcased cutting-edge breakthroughs in the field of structural biology but also inspired the audience to reflect on and explore the new paradigm of “structure-driven understanding of life.” It provided fresh insights into future scientific methodologies and interdisciplinary collaboration. Professor Yan also expressed her hope to visit SJTU more often in the future to share and exchange ideas with faculty and students from related disciplines. Yang Yifan, Party Secretary of the School of Artificial Intelligence, Xu Miaoxin, Deputy Party Secretary, Zhang Ya, Associate Dean, as well as professors and experts from related fields, attended the lecture.
The SJTU Master Forum is a high-level academic program open to all faculty and students of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. It invites distinguished scholars and academic masters from around the world to engage in face-to-face exchanges with the SJTU community, sharing scientific wisdom and life experiences, and fostering an inspiring academic atmosphere where one may “encounter a master around every corner.”
Initiated by the School of Artificial Intelligence, the Huizhi Lecture Series focuses on “top talents, top achievements, and top enterprises.” It aims to “gather global wisdom and spark diverse ideas,” serving as a platform for exchange and collaboration among academia, education, industry, and investment communities, and promoting frontier exploration and innovative applications in artificial intelligence and its interdisciplinary fields.
Contributing Unit: School of Artificial Intelligence
Translated by: Zara
Proofread by: Rebecca
