The following are just a few examples of collaboration areas where China offers distinctive advantages and at the same time shows a need for and interest in development.

Molecular medicine offers opportunities for collaboration between China and the West:

-- Uncovering new hereditary risk factors as well as biological markers for common diseases by analyzing the Chinese population for phenotypes and genotypes.

-- Primate research in China can be used for collaborative research in neural and cardiovascular diseases. China could build up a primate-based technology platform for drug safety and efficacy research with a cost advantage.

-- Cardiovascular diseases are increasing in China. The cost for hospitalization is relatively lower in China. These two factors combined makes it attractive to conduct research for new diagnostic and treatment methods in some advanced medical centers in China.

In genomics related areas:
-China plans to sequence more large genomes of both scientific and economic importance
-Study of traditional Chinese medicine using genomics tools is one focus of Chinese research

In biodiversity:
China is one of the richest countries regarding biological resources. As compounds from plants offer the best chances for the development of new lead structures in drug discovery, collaboration in this area can be very interesting.