On December 25, 2025, the "Sanjiang Lecture Series" invited Professor Sun Yang, a pharmacology professor at Nanjing University, Distinguished Changjiang Scholar of the Ministry of Education, and National Outstanding Young Scientist, to deliver a fascinating lecture titled "Chinese Style on Journal Covers — The Synergy Between Science and Art." The lecture seamlessly integrated cutting-edge scientific discoveries with traditional Chinese culture, offering an enriching experience for all attending faculty and students. This event was organized by the Medical and Life Sciences Division of Southeast University, the School of Life Science and Technology at Southeast University, and the Key Laboratory of "Developmental Genes and Human Diseases" (Ministry of Education), and was hosted by Vice Dean Chen Lei.
When psoriasis research was featured in an EMBO journal with ink-wash painting aesthetics, when tumor suppression was illustrated through the image of “Zhong Kui Subduing the Crab” in the top pharmaceutical journal APSB, and when the mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine were explained using the “Flaming Mountain” allegory—Professor Sun Yang, under the theme “Chinese Style on Journal Covers — The Synergy Between Science and Art,” guided the audience through intricate signaling pathways, microenvironments, and molecular targets with a series of thoughtfully designed academic cover images and allegorical stories rich in Eastern wisdom. This created an intellectually profound yet artistically inspiring journey for all attendees.
The lecture began with the simple yet ingenious logo of the Molpharm Laboratory—an open “pill”—designed by laboratory master’s student Zhou Xiaobin and refined by Professor Sun Yang. The first scientific story centered on the signaling molecule SHP2, a key research focus of the team. In his presentation, Professor Sun skillfully guided the audience’s thinking into two seemingly distinct yet intrinsically connected “battlefields”: psoriasis and tumors. He used the metaphor of a “helmsman steering a ship” to explain how SHP2 regulates immune signals, and “undercover infiltration in enemy camps” to describe SHP2’s antagonistic role in the tumor microenvironment. Through these illustrative approaches, he allowed the audience to grasp the essence of his scientific narrative.
“If the Banana Fan can extinguish the fire of the Flaming Mountain, can our targeted drugs quench the ‘flames’ of chronic inflammation?” In the “Flaming Mountain” segment of the lecture, Professor Sun Yang conveyed the modern research on traditional Chinese medicine components such as celastrol and cycloastragenol through classic Chinese tales, highlighting their significant roles in chronic inflammation and tumors. He demonstrated how his team combined single-cell sequencing technology to identify target proteins of small molecules, proposing a novel strategy for studying the mechanisms of natural product molecules.
Throughout the lecture, each of Professor Sun’s research projects was accompanied by a meticulously conceived “Chinese-style” cover or an illustrative image: landscape scrolls reflecting molecular networks, mythological characters enacting drug confrontations, and classical allegories revealing cell fates. Professor Sun not only systematically presented his team’s frontier achievements in inflammation and tumor immunology but also, through his unique “Chinese-style” narrative, inspired deep reflection among the audience on the aesthetics of scientific research and interdisciplinary innovation. The lecture concluded amidst warm applause.
(Photos and Text: Zheng Yuwei | Review: Chen Lei)