PLA Daily 2003-05-2１

　　A timetable posted at the Beijing Genome Institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences reads: "April 15, 2:45 am, the Military Academy of Medical Science provided free of charge the sample of coronavirus obtained from a SARS patient; April 16, 10:48 am to 16:05 pm, the Beijing Genome Institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences completed the genome sequencing of the SARS virus; April 18, 7:32 am, the SARS virus protein from patients' blood was identified; April 19, 2:12 am, the reagent box for clinical diagnosis was successfully developed."

　　It took only five days to develop the diagnostic reagent box, which can determine whether a person is suffering from SARS or not in just one hour. This has not only reflected close cooperation among the scientific researchers and their high morale, but also demonstrated China's strength in the basic research field.

　　"The strength in basic scientific research has become an important part of a nation's capability in handling emergencies, " said Yang Huanming, director of the Beijing Genome Institute.

　　In recent years, China has made great efforts in human genome research. The reason why China was able to complete SARS genome sequencing in such a short time is that China is now one of the world leaders in genome research. In addition, China also enjoys leading position in many medical research fields.

　　A new drug for fighting SARS, the so-called restructured interferon α-2b spray was developed and then approved on April 24 by the State Food & Drug Administration of china for clinical testing, it was about ten days earlier than a US medical lab, which announced in early May that interferon could effectively control SARS virus.

　　By Ou Can

　　(May 21,PLA Daily)