季维智（Weizhi Ji）

季维智，男，1950年生，博士生导师，中国科学院院士，欧洲科学院院士，昆明理工大学特聘教授，灵长类转化医学研究院院长，省部共建非人灵长类生物医学国家重点实验室主任，云南省灵长类生物医学动物重点实验室理事长，生物医学动物模型国家地方联合工程研究中心主任。“世界经济论坛全球未来理事会”理事（2016-2018），“国家干细胞研究指导协调委员会”专家，“国家重大科学研究计划生殖与发育专家组”成员(2006-2014)，“国家实验动物研究委员会”专家组成员和973项目首席科学家，中国细胞生物学会理事、干细胞生物学分会会长（2019-2022）。1978-1982年就读于云南大学生物系，1983-2012年中科院昆明动物研究所研究员，其中1987-1989年赴美国俄勒冈国家灵长类研究中心做访问学者，1995-1997年任美国威斯康星大学动物医学与生物化学系客座教授，1996年与美国威斯康星灵长类研究中心在昆明动物研究所共建了中美灵长类生物学联合实验室，为该实验室中方主任。1996-2005年任中科院昆明动物研究所所长，2005-2008年任中科院昆明灵长类研究中心主任。

季维智院士长期坚持灵长类生殖发育生物学的研究，围绕早期胚胎发育调控，干细胞多能性和人类疾病的猴模型及致病机理等科学问题，形成了从体外受精、胚胎早期发育、基因编辑以及干细胞等系统研究体系。在优化猴生殖细胞和胚胎体外培养体系，影响胚胎发育的分子机制，干细胞的分离、自我更新和分化调控等方面都有新的发现。率先在基因编辑灵长类动物模型取得重大突破，并获得了naïve猴多能性干细胞。实现了灵长类（人和猴）胚胎体外延长培养，解析了灵长类胚胎发育原肠发生与发育的重要事件。在胚胎发育和干细胞的基础理论、干细胞多能性和疾病研究都有重要意义。季维智院士的系列研究成果，为我国在灵长类的研究跻身于世界先进行列发挥了积极作用。季维智院士长期为国家生殖发育、干细胞专家组服务，为中国生殖与干细胞研究作出了突出贡献，也为中国灵长类研究的国际化并跻身于世界先进行列发挥了重要作用。承担多项国家级重点研发项目，包括科技部973计划“细胞多能性和人类重大疾病的猴模型研究”、“猕猴干细胞自我更新、定向分化的分子机制”、“非人灵长类克隆及治疗性克隆的机理研究”、科技部国家科技支撑计划“人类疾病的灵长类动物模型开发和标准化研究”及科技部863计划“灵长类动物模型与安全性评价的研究与应用”等。在 Cell， Science, Nature, Cell Stem Cell，PNAS等杂志以通讯作者或第一作者发表 SCI 论文 100 余篇。其中，2014 年在 Cell 发表的基因编辑猴的论文被评价为人类疾病模型建立的里程碑性工作、入选 2014 年世界十大科技进展（MIT Technology Review）、2014 年 Cell 最佳论文(Cell)、 2014 年世界最成功的 8 大事件之一(Nature)。

Prof. Weizhi Ji currently is Member of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor and Director of Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology /Yunnan Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research. Graduated from Yunnan University in 1982, Prof. Ji had begun his scientific career as Principal Investigator at Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinses Academy of Sciences since 1983 till 2012, at which he had served as Director for 10 years between 1996-2005. In 1987-1989, Prof. Ji worked as a scientist in Oregon National Primate Research Center and Smithsonian Institution in US. From 1995 to 1997, he held visiting professor position in University of Wisconsin. In 1996, Prof. Ji was named as the director of China-US Joint Primate Biology Laboratory, which was co-established by Kunming Institute of Zoology and Wisconsin Primate Research Center.

Prof. Ji has been engaged in primate reproductive and developmental biology for over 3 decades. His research focuses on mechanism in early embryo development regulation, stem cell pluripotency and nonhuman primate animal models for human diseases. His lab has set up a chain of systems and platforms from in vitro fertilization, early embryonic development, gene editing, stem cell lines that makes his lab a unique and leading institute in nonhuman primate research in the world. His lab reported the first gene-modified rhesus and cynomolgus monkeys via Cas9/RNA-mediated gene targeting in 2014, first proved the feasibility of generate chimeric monkeys using ESCs in 2015 and succeeded in the extended in vitro culture for both monkey and human early embryos in 2019 that gives a rare glimpse into the developmental events of gastrulation in primates and offers insights into the new discoveries of fundamental theories in embryonic development, stem cells and diseases study. Prof. Ji has been providing his expertise in the national committees for reproduction and development biology, stem cells research and takes the lead in a series of state key research projects, including “973 Project”,”863 Project” delegated by the Ministry of Science and Technology, China. His research has been published in internationally recognized journals, including Cell, Science, Nature, Cell Stem Cell, PNAS and others, among which his research of the first primates born with genomes engineered by precision gene-targeting methods published on Cell has been regarded as a milestone work for animal disease model study and listed as one of the 10 technology breakthrough in 2014 by MIT Technology Review, Best Research Article of 2014 by Cell, one of the 8 Success in science of 2014 by Nature.