The agreement will also provide seed grants for collaborative clinical and translational pilot projects that have the potential to develop into larger studies funded by industry or government sources in China and the United States.

"This collaboration demonstrates our commitment to becoming a regional leader in clinical and translational research," says Dr Mengfeng Li, vice president of SYSU and dean of SYSU's Zhongshan School of Medicine. "It is an opportunity for us to leverage Johns Hopkins' expertise in the discovery and application of the latest research advances. We are confident that the sooner we can enhance our training programs and research infrastructure, the sooner we can foster the kind of international collaborative research that will make a difference in people's lives in China and throughout the world."