On June 24, a meeting combining the national sci-tech conference, the national science and technology award conference, and the general assemblies of the members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering was held in Beijing.
The project "Establishment and Application of a Breeding and Selection System for Pig Genomes", led by Professor Zhao Shuhong of the College of Animal Science and Technology and the College of Veterinary Medicine at Huazhong Agricultural University, won second prize in the National Technology Invention Award, part of the National Science and Technology Awards.
A group photo of the team led by Professor Zhao Shuhong. [Photo/news.hzau.edu.cn]
The pig industry is a trillion-yuan-scale livelihood industry in China, where the quality of breeding pigs fundamentally determines the benefits of pig farming, and innovation in breeding technology is the driving force for improving the quality of breeding pigs. Genomic breeding is widely recognized as the most efficient pig breeding technology.
Addressing international technical challenges, such as unclear functional sites in the pig genome leading to low accuracy in genetic evaluation and inefficiency in calculating large genomic breeding data, Professor Zhao led the pig genome and breeding team to invent high-throughput functional site mining and gene chip technology products. They developed big data algorithm tools for genome selection and breeding, created performance testing equipment and standards for breeding pigs, and established a completely independent intellectual property system for pig genome selection and breeding technology. This system has been fully localized and applied on a large scale in leading pig breeding enterprises such as Yangxiang and COFCO.
Born in 1967, Zhao Shuhong is the Dean of the College of Animal Science and Technology and the College of Veterinary Medicine at Huazhong Agricultural University. She has won the Eighth China Young Women Scientist Award, the Twelfth China Youth Science and Technology Award, and the Second Prize of the 2018 National Technology Invention Award.
"Although China is a major pig-raising country in the world, there was a significant gap between our pig breeding work and that of developed countries in the last century," Zhao said.
Professor Zhao Shuhong offers guidance to students. [Photo/news.hzau.edu.cn]
In the late 1990s, she was one of the key figures in establishing the first animal molecular biology and breeding laboratory at HZAU, and under simple experimental conditions, she was the first in the world to establish single-sperm genotyping and genetic mapping technology for pigs. In the early 2000s, Zhao and her team, as the only representative from Chinese universities, participated in the International Pig Genome Project.
"We must address the difficulties in the development of national industries, take it as our duty to benefit the people, overcome the fear of difficulties, be willing to endure hardship, and persistently strive. This is the spirit of scientists," Zhao said.
The National Science and Technology Awards are a series of awards established by the State Council to reward citizens and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to scientific and technological progress, to mobilize the enthusiasm and creativity of scientific and technological workers, to accelerate the development of science and technology, and to enhance comprehensive national strength. The National Technology Invention Award is given to scientific and technological workers who have made significant technological inventions in products, processes, materials, and systems by applying scientific and technological knowledge.
