Yang Huanming

, 1990–94).

Yang is involved with the mapping and cloning of human genes, the sequencing and analysis of the human genome, human genome diversity and evolution, and the ethical, legal, and social issues related to genome research. The work of Yang and his collaborators at the Beijing Genomics Institute on the rice genome made the cover of the April 5, 2002 issue of Science magazine. Yang led a 2000 UNESCO sponsored symposium held in Hangzhou on research ethics that focused on some questionable research projects by foreign researchers in Anhui Province and on strengthening the protection of human research subjects in China.

Yang led China's participation in the international Human Genome Project. Yang is also Coordinator-in-China of the International HapMap Consortium and Chief Coordinator of the Chinese Hybrid Rice Genome Consortium. Yang is Secretary-General of the Chinese Human Genome Project (CHGP), Secretary-General of the Human Genome Diversity Committee, and Secretary-General of the Committee of Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues (ELSI), CHGP. He is a member of the Expert Panel of the National Office for Administration on Genetic Materials, and the Expert Committee of Field of Life Sciences, National Programs on High-tech (“863”), China.

A Scientific Entrepreneur

Yang was born on October 6, 1952 near Wenzhou, Zhejiang, the hometown of some of China's most energetic entrepreneurs. Yang is himself one of China's most successful scientific entrepreneurs. Yang leads an institute that has a dual public-private nature since it first established with the help of Wenzhou businesspeople as the Huada Genomics Research Institute and then later received Chinese government support as the Beijing Genomics Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Unusual for an institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 80% of the 500 research positions at the BGI laboratories in Beijing and Hangzhou are supported through competitive grants from both Chinese and foreign sources. Some of the research work of the laboratory is supported by selling genetics and genomics related commercial services such as paternity testing by Huada Beijing and the Huada Genomics Institute of Hangzhou and the Huada Biotechnology Co. of Hangzhou.

External links

* [http://www.genomics.org.cn/bgi_new/english/menu/center/leader01.htm Yang Huanming biographical note on Beijing Genomics Institute website]
* [http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9D%A8%E7%84%95%E6%98%8E Chinese language Wiki article on Yang Huanming]
* [http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200306/09/eng20030609_117919.shtml "Chinese Scientists Defeated by SARS" June 9, 2003 China Youth Daily interview with Yang Huanming]
* [http://www.nni.nikkei.co.jp/FR/NIKKEI/inasia/prizes/2003/2003yang.html Nikkei Asia Prize Winners 2003: Yang Huanming "Work in genomics could help end world hunger"]
* [http://www.geneticsandhealth.com/2005/09/02/genetics-research-in-china/ September 2005 Xinhua press service story on how Yang Huanming organized Chinese participation in the international human genome project.]
* [http://www.big.ac.cn/big/english/index.jsp Beijing Genomics Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences]
* [http://www.genetictest.cn/about/index.htm Huada Genomics Institute of Hangzhou (in Chinese)]
* [http://www.hapmap.org/ International HapMap Consortium]