Studying in China

I am Md Shahin Alam from Bangladesh, a small and very beautiful country with natural prosperity. This is my 3^rd year as a doctoral student here in the College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, China. Ever since my childhood, I have had a passion for new discoveries, so after completing my Bachelor of Science degree, I decided to pursue a career in research. I came to China in 2017 and enrolled in my research-based Master of Science program in Bioinformatics (Medical Systems Biology) at the School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Soochow University, under the Chinese government scholarship and the supervision of Professor Bairong Shen. I achieved this opportunity with a lot of effort, hard work, and outstanding academic results. I completed my Master of Science degree on time with several publications as first or co-author in reputed SCI journals. Bioinformatics is one of the leading research areas in Biology and Medical sciences, where handle biological data using mathematical and statistical methodology through computer programing and software tools. In my master's research work, I identified some potential biomarkers (therapeutic targets) from whole-genome data analysis for cancer diagnosis through integrated bioinformatics and statistical approaches. There was a major limitation in bioinformatics work, such as we could not directly suggest disease treatment. So, further validation in the experimental lab was extremely needed. In that case, I thought I should expand my work in the experimental laboratory.

After completing my Master of Science degree, I was trying for a Ph.D. position in an experimental lab for my interest in mixing work (computational and experimental), where I could validate my computational results. Finally, I enrolled here in 2020 for the Ph.D. degree in the Laboratory of Molecular Neuropathology, Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University. I prepared a research proposal based on a combination of computational and experimental work and discussed it with my professor. My professor appreciated this research proposal and gave me some essential suggestions to implement this work. In the new laboratory, I always try my best to follow my supervisor's suggestions, requirements, and study plan to continue research work. My doctoral project is research on drugs targeting breast cancer. Through bioinformatics analysis, I conducted bioinformatics analysis of breast cancer targets and compounds, found factors closely related to breast cancer, and screened targeted compounds. According to the results of the bioinformatics analysis, I selected several candidate compounds and used cell biology and biochemical methods to study their targeting effects. It was found that most of the candidate compounds could target and inhibit related gene products. Among them, Mmasatinib can inhibit tumor cell proliferation and induce apoptosis through the mTOR signaling pathway.

We, therefore, identified a set of molecular biomarkers and small-molecule drugs that may be potentially effective for breast cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment by using a combination of bioinformatics and web-based approaches. We also validated our results by cellular and biochemical experiments reflecting the effect of candidate compounds on breast cancer.

         I am pleased to be enrolled here in the Laboratory of Molecular Neuropathology and will be able to fulfill my Ph.D. goals in time. These achievements were only possible because of the extensive supervision of my professor Guanghui Wang. After coming to SUDA, I have developed myself in research work as well as my abilities in the Chinese language and culture.

         I have developed my abilities in Chinese language and culture from two sources (I) Basic courses, including my degree syllabus (II) some events organized by the international office of SUDA. I attended two courses on the Chinese language and culture. I have learned about Chinese culture through Chinese culture classes, which significantly influences me. And after joining the language classes, I have gathered a basic knowledge of the Chinese language, and as a result, now, I can communicate with my Chinese teachers, friends, and local people. I tried my best to attend any event organized by the international office of SUDA. In particular, in July 2022, they hosted a cultural exchange program for one week. I joined this event, met with some new friends from other areas, and shared our culture. It was a great experience in my life in SUDA. Furthermore, we wrote an article based on the comparative development between Bangladesh and China's Shaanxi Province under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and also showed the challenges that may be faced in future development. I am really thankful to the teachers of the International office for organizing such events.

I have been living here in Suzhou for the last five years. Suzhou is a very beautiful city with its natural prosperity. I am fascinated by the beauty of this city. The fresh air and natural beauty of Suzhou are really very enjoyable. I got the opportunity to visit some places and industries in Suzhou by participating in a tour organized by Suzhou University. I also visited some traditional places (gardens, traditional streets, museums) in Suzhou by myself. Sometimes we have arranged parties and short tours to go close to nature. I think these are also a part of the study because mind refreshment is a big deal for good research. I've got very good soul lab mates who are very helpful and cooperative. They have made my life easy abroad. I am grateful to my supervisor, a person with a strong personality and a hard-working, who accepted me as a Ph.D. student in his laboratory and gave me a chance to fulfill my dream of studying in China.

         Although it was not easy to come to China, leaving my parents and siblings, the Chinese government has given me the opportunity to study at Soochow University. I have gained more valuable experience and a better scientific research environment during my study here. I am very proud and grateful to be a member of Soochow University.

Note: Md Shahin Alam won the Jiangsu Province Scholarship for International Students in 2022. He was the only P.h.D student in our university who received this honor.