Hu Hailan, an outstanding female scientist in the world: maintaining childlike and persistence to unveil the "password" of depression

Zhejiang News Client reporter He Dongjian

On June 21, local time, Hu Hailan made a special report at the French Academy of Sciences.

Hu Hailan

He was born in Dongyang. He was born in Hangzhou in 1973. He is a professor at the School of Medicine of Zhejiang University, Executive Director of the Medical Science Center of Zhejiang University, and Dean of the School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine at Zhejiang University.

Hu Hailan is mainly engaged in the research of molecular and neural circuit mechanisms for emotional and social behavior. He has won the 12th IBRO-Kemali (International Brain Research Organization-Kaizi) International Award, 2019 He Liang Heli Fund Science and Technology Progress Award, 2022 L'Oreal-UNESCO World Outstanding Female Scientist Achievement Award.

Dream quotation

"Scientific research is like the marathon of the end point. You have to adjust your rhythm. Sometimes it is fast, sometimes slow, sometimes a companion together, and sometimes it is alone. Although I don't know where the end point is , But always make you full of hope. "

Hu Hailan is "fire".

In the early morning of June 24, Beijing time, UNESCO invited her to Paris, France to attend the ceremony, and awarded her "L'Oreal -UNESCO Achievement Award", which was known as the "Women's Nobel Science Award". The awards are only awarded to 5 women around the world each year. The six Chinese scientists who have won this award are academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Hu Hailan has a lot of loud names -Professor of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Executive Director of Zhejiang University Neuroscience Center, and Dean of the School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine at Zhejiang University. Three months ago, she was awarded the title of March 8 Red Banner Model in 2021.

The lively and halo flushed to the female scientist born in 1973. She admitted that she wanted to "do a few years of scientific research again", and did not expect to go under the spotlight at once.

"Although the mystery of the brain nerve has always been the" unsolved mystery ', I believe that one day, based on the understanding and cognition of the neural mechanism behind mental illness, humans can create solutions to get rid of pain for patients with mental illness. " At the award ceremony, Hu Hailan sincerely expects.

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay (first from left), the chairman of L'Oreal's board of directors and the chairman of the L'Oreal Enterprise Foundation Jean-Paul Agon (first from the right) to Hu Hailan (middle) 2022 In the year "Achievement Award for Outstanding Female Scientists in the World".

Extinction of depression "culprit"

Get a major breakthrough

When it comes to one of the worst mental illness that affects human life in modern society, we will inevitably turn our attention to depression -this "emotional password" that plagues global scientists for many years.

The public's deepest impression of Hu Hailan may also be her research on the disease. In 2018, the top international journal "Nature" published her two long articles with the team in the same period, causing a sensation in the academic community. Through the study of compounds, the team has made major breakthroughs on the issue of "culprit" that really leads to depression, providing multiple brand -new molecular targets for the development of new antidepressants. Some scientists have commented that this study "breaks worldwide problems".

"There is a small nuclear group in the brain, which plays a very large role in mediating negative emotions. We also call it the" Anti -reward center 'of the brain center. " The activities in this small nuclear group have an exception, or they have entered a particularly high discharge state. The excessive activation of such a "anti -reward center" is the consequence of excessive suppression of the brain reward center, and the reward center is the source of nuclear pleasure, heart pleasure, and the source of reward experience related chemicals. Essence So this may be the reason why people enter the state of depression.

At the same time, the team also found that ketamine can quickly take effect because it can quickly block the excessive discharge or excessive activation state of the "anti -reward center", thereby playing a switch. In the process, they also discovered two or three new different molecular targets, which can be used as the target of potential antidepressants.

"Our basic study of one of the important significance is to find that ketamine is not the only choice for the team to transform the application." Hu Hailan said, so the team's current research is related to application. It is hoped that ketamine will be transformed on the molecular structure to retain its antidepressant effect, remove its addiction, or other side effects. The second direction is the expansion of the target. At least one molecular target and the target of ketamine are played in the same path.

"We predict that after blocking this target, we will also have the effect of antidepressing. In response to this target, there are already drug treatment of other diseases in clinical practice. We have started cooperating with the clinical team two or three years ago. The idea to treat depression, "said Hu Hailan.

Keep childhood and persistence

This is the mystery of success

"Communication with other female scientists is my deepest memory of Paris this time." Hu Hailan said.

Due to the epidemic, this year's awards ceremony accumulated 15 female scientists who won three awards. These "strongest brains" from various fields in the world were warmly welcomed in Paris.

Hu Hailan (first from right) took a photo with the award -winning female scientist.

The French Academy of Sciences has designed a special link for them to invite each of the award -winning female scientists to share and exchange their jobs. From the new coronary vaccine to the black hole, from embryonic development to data encryption, this feast made Hu Hailan "very enjoyable" in extremely broad spans. After a few days of getting along, she also "became a good friend" with a few of them, with the possibility of scientific cooperation. Hu Hailan told reporters with a smile that this was the "biggest gain" of this trip. A "friend" is very special. In the gratitude of the French Academy of Sciences, Hungarian American biochemist Catalin Kobiro said: "Others will thank students and doctoral post -doctoral, but in my 40 years of graduate career, no students are also. Without a postdoctoral, all the experiments were done by myself. "

One of the founders of the MRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) new coronal virus vaccine technology, most of the time with various setbacks. Catalin has been particularly interested and talented in biological aspects. When he was elementary, he took a train to Budapest to participate in the National Biological Competition of Hungary and won the third place. But after working in the United States, for a long time, she was spent in the cycle of "writing funding -was rejected", and was even fired many times. At the age of 58, she went to a small company with only dozens of people in Germany. Everyone knows the latter story. After studying the MRNA vaccine technology for nearly 40 years, she became famous in the research and development of the MRNA new crown vaccine.

"Catalin has a unique toughness of scientists." Hu Hailan said, her story has unparalleled her own. When I was chatting with Qatar, she could feel that she had always maintained "the child's childhood and persistence". And this is the mystery of the success of scientists.

Toughness

Is the basic skill of scientists

The word toughness was repeatedly mentioned in the communication between us and Hu Hailan.

In the field of scientific research, perseverance is not a metaphor, but reality. Hu Hailan agrees with one point of view: If 50%of the test is expected, this subject should be given because it is not innovative enough.

Therefore, it is not difficult to understand that in the laboratory of the Zijin Port Campus of Zhejiang University, Hu Hailan is facing the failure of the experiment more than 70%of the time every day -or temporarily unsuccessful. As she said, "the exercise of toughness is also the basic skill of scientists."

Hu Hailan works in the laboratory.

Daily research and study never made her feel that scientific research was a boring thing. This high school era won the third place in Zhejiang Physics Competition and was sent to Peking University, which was unusual for science. "Scientists are the best occupations in the world. The country and society support us to do things that they are really interested in." Hu Hailan said.

What kind of experience is Hu Hailan's graduate student?

A student used a keyword to describe- "Happiness". "Teacher Hu is the one I can contact most of the people I can admire. I admire her not only because of her achievements, but also because I have witnessed and felt the diligence of her work, the attitude towards scientific research is improving, The curiosity of new knowledge and her self -discipline in life. "In the eyes of her graduate student, Hu Hailan not only gave herself a bright beginning on the road of scientific research, but more importantly, it was given them on this road. Courage, confidence and method.

Scientific research has its own laws, and sometimes it may make breakthroughs at once, but many times it is a long exploration. Hu Hailan believes: "Scientific research is like a marathon that does not know where the end point is. You have to adjust your rhythm, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes companions, sometimes alone. Where is the final point, but it always makes you hopeful. "She told the students like this, and it was just doing this.

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