The construction of China's first national-level bio-manufacturing innovation center began on Sunday in Shenzhen, a tech hub in south China's Guangdong Province.
The center, led by the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and supported by industry leaders, is located in the Guangming Science City in Shenzhen.
Featuring six major technological platforms including an automated bio-manufacturing platform and a bioinformatics computational support platform, the center is expected to revolutionize the traditional bio-manufacturing industry through the application of cutting-edge technologies.
"Our six [technological] platforms allow to develop different processes simultaneously in a short period of time, so as to meet the demands for lab-scale and pilot-scale tests in different subdivisions of bio-manufacturing, which will significantly shorten the time cycle from the initial lab research when the results are originally created to state when they are finally industrialized into products," said Liu Chenli, vice president of the SIAT and director of the innovation center.
Once completed, the center will collaborate with other innovation platforms in the Guangming Science City, such as the Major Scientific and Technological Infrastructure for Synthetic Biology Research and the Industrial Innovation Center for Engineering Biology, enhancing synergy among laboratories, upstream and downstream companies, and fostering a comprehensive innovation ecosystem in synthetic bio-manufacturing.
Innovation center for bio-manufacturing starts construction in Shenzhen
Innovation center for bio-manufacturing starts construction in Shenzhen
Multiple handheld pager explosions struck Beirut and the southeastern and northeastern regions of Lebanon on Tuesday, leading to a temporary internet shutdown in the southern suburbs of the capital city, according to China Media Group (CMG) reporter Ci Xiaoning.
"I am currently at the entrance of a major hospital in Beirut, Lebanon's capital. Around 15:30 today, there were several explosions in the southern suburbs of Beirut. My Lebanese colleague, who lives very close to the area, experienced an immediate loss of internet connectivity. Reports have since confirmed that many handheld pagers were involved in the explosions," Ci reported outside a hospital in Beruit.
Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad confirmed that the explosions resulted in at least nine deaths and about 2,800 injuries, with approximately 200 people in critical condition. The injured are being transferred to hospitals.
In a statement, Hezbollah said it is conducting security and scientific investigations to identify the reasons behind these explosions, adding that the group is "at the highest level of readiness to defend Lebanon and its people."
In a separate statement, the Shiite group blamed Israel for "this criminal attack," vowing to retaliate.
The Lebanese Council of Ministers stressed that the government, shortly after the deadly explosions, began contacting the concerned countries and the United Nations to hold the perpetrators accountable.
Israel has yet to comment on Tuesday's blasts. According to media reports, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held a security assessment meeting at the HaKirya military base in Tel Aviv on Tuesday to address the implications of the explosions.
CMG reporter says internet shutdown following deadly pager blasts in Lebanon
