The Biophysical Society of China (BSC) is proud to announce that the research conducted by Zhao Yan’s team from the Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in collaboration with Jiang Daohua from the Institute of Physics, CAS, has been recognized among China’s Top 10 Scientific Advances of 2024. 

Their research, titled “Elucidating the transport mechanisms of monoamine neurotransmitter transporters and their modulation by psychiatric drugs”, revealed how neurotransmitter transporters interact with various psychiatric drugs, laying the groundwork for the development of more effective and safer treatments for mental disorders. 

The list of the country’s Top 10 Scientific Advances of 2024 was released on March 27 during the opening ceremony of the 2025 Zhongguancun Forum Annual Conference by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). 

The selected achievements span a broad range of disciplines including mathematics, physics, astronomy, information science, chemistry, materials science, energy, earth and environmental science, and life and medical science.

The selection process was highly competitive. From over 700 basic research achievements, nearly 140 multi-disciplinary experts shortlisted 31 major accomplishments. These were then subjected to real-name voting by more than 2,700 scholars, including over 440 academicians from the CAS and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. The final list was reviewed and approved by the NSFC’s advisory committee.

Since its establishment in 2005, China’s Top 10 Scientific Advances initiative has highlighted China’s progress in fundamental science, with the aim of fostering scientific excellence and increasing public understanding and support for basic research.