CPPCC member Fu Xiaobing takes a photo in front of the Great Hall of the People. (Photo by Li Jiaqi)
By Li Jiaqi and Wang Yun
One afternoon in the early summer of 2000, Fu Xiaobing happened to discover an incredible biological phenomenon in doing an experiment. Viewing through the microscope, he found that some old cells on a pathological section surprisingly turned into stem cells. Simply put, the old cells "became younger". Though a fleeting observation through the high-power microscope, it was enough to thrill Fu Xiaobing and his colleagues.
After many years of continuous research and verification, in 2007, Fu Xiaobing's team carried out the first successful case of using human stem cells to regenerate sweat glands in the world. The achievement provides a basis for solving the sweating problem of patients suffering the late stage of severe war wound of burn, leading China to the cutting edge of international research in this field.
More than 30 years ago, Fu, who was still a graduate student at a military academy, went to the battlefields four times. Under the relentless firepower, more rapid medical treatment means more safeguards for the soldiers' lives. The fact drove him to make a determination. "We must develop more and better results of war wound treatment for the service members as soon as possible to save the lives of the wounded to the maximum extent."
After graduation from the military academy, upholding this strong conviction, Fu Xiaobing was assigned to the First Affiliated Hospital of the Chinese PLA General Hospital. He and his team devoted themselves to working out China's own "trump card" techniques of war wound treatment. By now, many of their theoretical innovations and critical technological achievements have been granted national-level awards.
"As a pacesetter in this discipline, what is your next goal?" Responding to media query, Fu Xiaobing answered, "We're required to always look forward in scientific research. For me, the most important task is to promote the continuous progress of the war wound discipline system."
While referring to the topic of achieving the goals set for the centenary of the PLA by 2027 as scheduled, Fu Xiaobing frankly noted, "I hope that our war wound treatment system could become more robust in the following three years, more and more 'trump card' techniques could be applied to the field of war wound treatment, and the rescue equipment could be more adaptive to the demand of intelligent combat operations. I also expect to cultivate more and more professionals who can surpass me."
The picture shows Fu Xiaobing works in the laboratory. (Photo by Chen Gang)