Yan Zhen/Shanghai Daily news

Researchers at Fudan University are receiving unparalleled recognition for their discovery of an efficient genetic transport element in mammals, a breakthrough that could help scientists worldwide study the functions of specific genes in humans.
Fudan's discovery of the piggyBac (PB), the newly discovered DNA transposon, was published online by Cell, one of the world's top academic journals related to life sciences on July 21.
The discovery will also be the cover story of Cell's August 12 edition, the first time a Chinese research paper has earned the journal's cover, Fudan officials said.
The new finding will allow researchers to insert a PB element into any of the 300,000 genes found in the human body. The element effectively turns the gene off, so researchers can see how the body reacts once a specific gene is no longer functioning.
If turning off one gene causes cardiac problems, for instance, researchers will know that gene is related to how the heart functions.
Transposable elements are mobile genetic units identified in many creatures. They control mutations in lower organisms, such as worms and insects.
While researchers have been able to use them in studies of lower organisms in the past, they have had little luck using them in cells from mammals due to the lack of an efficient transposition system.
"After thousands of trials and failures over the past three years, we have proved that the PB element carrying multiple genes can efficiently transpose in human and mouse cells," said Xu Tian, a professor at Fudan's institute of developmental biology and molecular medicine, and leader of the research team.
Previously, gene-knockout or chemical mutation technology were often used to find a connection between certain genes and diseases.
But that was very expensive and labor-consuming. Scientists throughout the world spent more than 30 years using that technology and still only understand about 10 percent of mammal genes.