World's largest metabolism research platform set up in Shanghai
Shanghai's Ruijin Hospital has announced the establishment of the world's biggest digital metabolism monitoring platform. With 10 rooms simulating different conditions like high temperature, low temperature and high latitude, the platform will help in the study of human metabolism and other key life data for medical research.
According to experts, energy metabolism is one of the most basic life signs. It is closely related to health and has close connection with major chronic diseases like diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and cancer.
"Enhancing basic research on energy metabolism is the key to the prevention and control of chronic diseases," said Dr Wang Weiqing, director of the National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, which is located in Ruijin Hospital.
"After decoding the process of energy expenditure and metabolism, we can grasp more targeted and more effective measures against chronic diseases."
In the rooms, research participants (patients and healthy people), with wearable equipment, can have free movement, do physical exercises and have meals for a day or days. A total of some 80 pieces of data is collected in real time for analysis and study.
Currently, there are about 80 such metabolism monitoring rooms in the world, mostly in North America, Europe and Asia. The one in Ruijin has the largest number of research rooms and is the first which can interact with people being researched through changing the environment, experts said.
"In addition to chronic diseases like diabetes, we will also do research on rare diseases. We can study such patients' metabolism and introduce targeted stimulation to enhance their treatment," Wang claimed.
A doctor talks to a test participant in a metabolism research room.
Over 80 pieces of life data are seen on the screen.
