Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation

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Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation

SMART is a biomedical research institute dedicated to advancing scientific discovery, clinical innovation, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

We connect cutting-edge research with real-world solutions to address major health challenges globally.

04/03/2026

Understanding the brain requires collaboration beyond borders.

SMART Symposium 2026
Cutting-Edge Research of Neuroscience in China, Japan and South Korea

From neuroplasticity to neural circuits and disease mechanisms, this symposium will bring together 35 leading researchers from Asia and the United States to share new discoveries and build future partnerships.

📍 Shenzhen, China
📅 March 19–21, 2026
🧠 In-person conference
🎓 Poster session open for latest findings & unpublished work

Join us as distinguished neuroscientists gather to advance dialogue, deepen regional collaboration, and shape the next chapter of brain research.

Registration closes March 16. Check details via 👉 symposia.smart.org.cn

02/03/2026

Membranes are where life communicates.

From decoding molecular mechanisms to enabling next-generation drug discovery, membrane signaling sits at the center of modern biomedical research.

This March, SMART Symposium 2026 brings together leading scientists from around the world to explore how new tools and ideas are reshaping our ability to study — and ultimately harness — membrane proteins.

📍 Shenzhen, China
📅 March 13–15, 2026
🧬 Poster submissions welcome
🌍 Global speakers from academia & industry

Join us for conversations that bridge discovery, technology, and translation.

Registration closes March 9 via 👉 symposia.smart.org.cn

28/02/2026

A new study in Communications Chemistry from the Mingxu Hu team at the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation (SMART) and the Chenglong Bao team at Tsinghua University introduces CoCoFold, an end-to-end framework that fine-tunes AlphaFold using raw cryo-EM particle images.
In cryo-EM single-particle analysis, structural accuracy drops sharply when particle numbers are limited or viewing angles are missing. Traditional workflows rely on reconstructed 3D density maps, which often contain artifacts under such extreme conditions.
CoCoFold bypasses this bottleneck by directly comparing simulated projections from predicted atomic models with experimental 2D particles through a differentiable module. Most of AlphaFold is kept fixed, while the structure module is fine-tuned, preserving learned physical priors while incorporating experimental constraints.
With as few as ~1,100 particles, CoCoFold refines models from >5 Å RMSD to ~2 Å, outperforming existing approaches under limited data.

Figure 1 shows the CoCoFold framework, linking AlphaFold predictions to raw cryo-EM particles through end-to-end optimization.
Figure 2 shows performance under limited particle numbers, with higher accuracy and stability than other methods.
Figure 3 compares refined structures, where particle-based fine-tuning aligns closely with the true structure, while density-based refinement deviates more.
Figure 4 shows robustness under missing viewing angles.

26/02/2026

A new study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) reports a methodological advance from scientists at the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation (SMART) and Tsinghua University
Led by Mingxu Hu, Jiawei Wang, and Nieng Yan, the team introduces Ahaha (Absolute hand determination of helical assembly), a computational approach that determines the absolute handedness of helical assemblies using single-tilt cryo-EM data.
In cryo-EM, reconstructed maps can be mirror-inverted because absolute chirality information is lost during imaging. For glycofibrils, which lack α-helices as structural references, this ambiguity cannot be resolved even at near-atomic resolution. Ahaha addresses this fundamental limitation by comparing particle tilt angles from helical refinement with the known stage tilt direction.
Using natural freshwater samples, the team applied Ahaha to assign the correct handedness of multiple native glycofibrils and build their atomic models. The method removes a key barrier in glycan structural biology and strengthens the CryoSeek strategy for structural discovery in complex environmental samples.

• Fig. A: Principle of Ahaha: mirror helices behave differently under the same tilt, allowing handedness determination.
• Fig. B: Tilt-angle heatmaps distinguishing correct and mirror-inverted reconstructions.
• Fig. C: Atomic models of native glycofibrils built after handedness validation.

17/02/2026

New year. New pace. Same pursuit. 🐴

Here in China, we call it Spring Festival — a time for reunion, renewal, and the hope that drives us forward.

Wishing you sharp breakthroughs, smooth experiments, and progress that moves with you.

Happy Lunar New Year from SMART.

13/02/2026

What if failure，and ignorance, are not obstacles, but the engine of science?

In this episode of Beyond the Known, SMART PhD students sit down for a conversation about how science is actually practiced, beyond textbooks and tidy results.

They are joined by Stuart Firestein, a neuroscientist and professor at Columbia University, and the author of Ignorance and Failure. Before entering science, he spent nearly fifteen years working in theater—an experience that shaped his approach to research, collaboration, and communication.

In this conversation, he reflects on unconventional paths into research, what it means to start late, how failure functions inside the lab, and why uncertainty is central to scientific discovery.

12/02/2026

If 2026 had a pace, we’d like it to be: gallop.

SMART is bringing the festive heat — and a few horsepower wishes — for the year ahead.
Experiments that run, breakthroughs that land, and health that never clocks out.

May the new year bring
Fast-run experiments,
Sharp-won breakthroughs,
Ever-guarded health,
And every effort in full stride.

Here’s to progress that keeps up with you. 🐎✨

06/02/2026

Starting a PhD means more than choosing a research topic. 🤔

At SMART, our courses are designed to help us learn how research actually works—how questions are formed, how different fields connect, and how science links to real problems.
It’s not just about finding a direction, but about learning how to think and grow as researchers. 🧠🔬

🇨🇳 🎓

23/01/2026

RNA editing, explored through open dialogue and shared curiosity. 🧬✨

At SMART’s RNA Editing Symposium, scientists came together in a trusted, international setting — exchanging ideas, data, and perspectives that push research forward. What stood out was not only the science, but the spirit of openness and collaboration behind it. 🌍🔬

31/12/2025

A year made of small moments,
of learning side by side,
of joy in and beyond the lab,
of life unfolding as it is.

Wishing everyone a year ahead filled with warmth, curiosity, and quiet happiness.
Thank you for being part of this journey.

Piano performed by Conghan Li,
SMART second-year PhD student.

29/12/2025

From protein design and folding to membrane proteins and advanced methodologies,
this symposium brings together researchers working across disciplines to explore how protein science continues to reshape biology and medicine.

A shared space for ideas, collaboration, and scientific curiosity, where basic research meets real-world impact.

🧬 SMART International Symposium on Protein Sciences
📍 Shenzhen

25/12/2025

Sending warm holiday wishes from SMART.
May the season spark fresh ideas and meaningful connections in the year ahead. ✨🔬

Address

Guangming Life Science Park, 13/F
Shenzhen

Website

http://smart.org.cn/en

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