The Neurobiology discipline at Capital Medical University (CCMU) is one of the earliest established programs in China and has long exerted significant influence both domestically and internationally. It was among the first units in the country authorized to confer master’s and doctoral degrees. In 2005, the discipline became the sole medical field selected for the “Top Ten Discipline Clusters Construction Project of Beijing Universities,” thereby consolidating its leading status. That same year, the Ministry of Education approved the establishment of the “Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases (co-built by the Ministry of Education and Beijing Municipality).” In 2007, the discipline cluster was designated a National Key Discipline, recognized with a National “Elite Course” and a National “Excellent Teaching Team.” In 2010, it was approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology as one of the host units for the “Beijing Key Laboratory for Brain Major Diseases (co-built with the State Key Laboratory Incubation Base).”

Leveraging the International Alliance for Translational Neuroscience (IATN)—a platform initiated by CCMU in partnership with Harvard University, MIT, Johns Hopkins University, the University of British Columbia, Karolinska Institutet, the University of Melbourne, and Université Pierre et Marie Curie—the discipline has substantially enhanced its global standing. Through the annual “Beijing International Forum on Major Brain Diseases,” the IATN Collaborative Seed Fund, and joint doctoral training programs, international collaboration has been greatly intensified. Moreover, CCMU’s Neuroscience & Behavior subject has ranked within the global ESI top 1 % for several consecutive years, with its position steadily rising. These accomplishments have brought further prestige to the Neurobiology discipline at CCMU.

The Department of Neurobiology comprises 40 faculty members: 9 professors, 12 associate professors, 11 lecturers, and 8 technical staff. The Department offers a broad spectrum of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including Neurobiology, Advanced Neurobiology, Frontiers in Neuroscience Research, Advanced Experimental Techniques in Neurobiology, Clinical Pain Biology, and Brain Science of Emotion & Cognition. These courses have garnered five provincial-or-ministerial-level teaching awards. Professor Chen Zhang, the team leader, has guided the School of Basic Medical Sciences to the title of “National Advanced Collective in Education” and serves as the head of a National First-Class Undergraduate Course. He also leads a high-level teaching innovation team under the Beijing Higher-Education Faculty Development Program. As a class advisor, he steered his 2013–2014 cohort to the distinction of “Beijing University Advanced Academic Atmosphere Class.” Professor Zhang’s achievements have set an inspiring example for the entire department.

Over the past five years, the department has recruited new investigators, promoted one professor and six associate professors, and produced 102 master’s and doctoral graduates as well as 12 post-doctoral researchers. Fueled by passion and determination, the discipline continues its robust development.

In recent years, the discipline has flourished. It has hosted 66 provincial-or-ministerial-level research projects funded by the Ministry of Science & Technology (973, 863), the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, and the Beijing Natural Science Foundation. Faculty have published 157 SCI-indexed papers in leading journals such as Nature Neuroscience, Nature Communications, PNAS, Autophagy, Journal of Molecular Cell Biology, and Molecular Neurobiology. The team has received one First Prize of the Beijing Science & Technology Progress Award and six national invention patents.

        Professor Chen Zhang—recipient of the State Council Special Allowance and elected as a Beijing Young Scholar—has led more than 20 national and provincial projects, including  a National Key R&D Program (as Chief Scientist),  an NSFC Key Project, and a project from the Science & Technology Commission of the Central Military Commission, with total funding exceeding 600 million RMB. Among his accolades are the First Prize of the 2022 Science & Technology Achievement Award of the Chinese Association for Laboratory Animal Science, Beijing Outstanding Educator Award, Chinese Medical Science & Technology Award-Young Investigator Award, and Singapore’s Outstanding Young Investigator Award. His research excellence has also been recognized with the First Prize (second rank) of the Higher-Education Outstanding Achievement Award (Natural Sciences) and  being named CCMU’s Excellent Graduate Supervisor.

        The medical-engineering interdisciplinary team, led by Professors Xiaoguang Li and Zhaoyang Yang, has dedicated over two decades to applying tissue-engineering strategies to repair neural injuries. They achieved the world’s first successful regeneration of adult mammalian central neurons, thereby overturning the century-old dogma—espoused by the renowned neuroscientist Cajal—that “injured central nerves cannot regenerate.” The team further accomplished long-distance regeneration of the corticospinal tract (CST) in rhesus macaques, a higher primate. This breakthrough has been independently replicated by the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, and the work was verified by authoritative third parties and published in Experimental Neurology (January 2019), earning high praise from German National Academy of Sciences member Frank Bradke and Miami Project Director Dalton Dietrich. Additional influential papers have appeared in PNAS, Nature STTT, Biomaterials, and other journals. The team received the 2018 First Prize of the Higher-Education Outstanding Achievement Award (Natural Sciences) and the Third Prize of the Chinese Medical Science & Technology Award.

Oriented toward the nation’s urgent health-care needs and guided by the principles of translational medicine, the Neurobiology discipline focuses on major brain diseases—including neurodegeneration, psychiatric disorders, stroke, and neural injury. By employing cutting-edge life-science technologies, fostering interdisciplinary integration, and capitalizing on CCMU’s robust clinical neurosciences, the discipline closely links basic research with clinical application, elucidating novel disease mechanisms and innovating therapeutic interventions. Through these frontier efforts, the discipline aspires to bring new hope in the battle against brain diseases. We are confident that, as a new chapter unfolds, Neurobiology at Capital Medical University will shine ever more brilliantly.