The Shanghai Cancer Institute (SCI) was founded in 1958. It has been an independent research institution on cancer, affiliated to the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Public Health. The SCI was identified by WHO as one of the WHO Collaborating Centers for Research on Cancer in China in 1980.
The mainly research laboratories are State Key Laboratory of Oncogene and Related Genes, Epidemiology Laboratory, Molecular and Immunological Diagnosis, Experimental Animal Laboratory, etc. On the approval of the National Science and Technology Committee, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes was established on the basis of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 1985. There are 115 faculty and staff in the SCI. One hundred and eight of them are scientists, researchers and technicians, including three members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and 23 investigators

The SCI’s missions are the research on epidemiology, etology and mechanism of chemical carinogenesis of cancer. Another mainly research topic is the studies on functional genomics, gene diagnosis and therapy, and immunotherapy by means of high biotechnology. Others research fields are the molecular diagnosis, cellular and molecular immunology of cancer, and etc. There are a lot of large or advanced equipments for each departments in the SCI. The Shanghai Research and Development Facilities for Gene Therapy with theGMP level was established within the SCI in 1996. All these are aimed to the comprehensive prevention and control of cancer.
A number of studies were funded since the early of 1980s, the major are from the National Grants of Basic Research (“863” and “973” Programs), the National Key Projects (e.g. National Five Year Plan), the National Foundation of Natural Science. In addition, the SCI had many cooperation studies with the distinguished universities and institutions in China and abroad. For example, Several large-scale population-based epidemiological studies in urban Shanghai were funded by National Institute of Health and National Cancer Institute of United States. During the past years, more than 800 papers published by the SCI’s scientists on the national or international journals. The SCI’s scientists had obtained 24 awards or achievements of science and technology from the Shanghai or National government. 3 patents were authorized for the SCI, two in China and one abroad. Many graduates had got their Master or PhD degrees from the SCI since the end of 1980s.

Good relationship was established between the SCI and the famous cancer research agencies or universities in China or abroad throughout active and frequent interchange or cooperation. Some of the SCI’s departments invited the foreign specialists as the consultants of the lab. The SCI’s scientists were frequently invited to participate in some international conferences or symposiums, or to attend the meeting of collaboration studies.

The education programe was established by the Institution for postgraduates since 1979. During 1979 to 1988, 20 Master degrees were offered by the Shanghai Second Medical University for the postgraduates of the subject on “Biochemistry and Immunology”. 6 Master students with the subject of “Epidemiology and Medical Statistics” graduated from the SCI during 1983 to 1988, and their degrees were offered by the School of Public Health of Shanghai Medical University. During 1992 to 2003, 77 Master and PhD degrees were offered by the Graduate School of Fudan University for the students with four subjects of “Pathogenic Biology”, “Biochemistry and Molecular Biology”, “Immunology” and “Epidemiology and Medical Statistics”. Now, 36 students are studying under ten advisors (4 for PhD students and 6 for Master students) of the SCI.

The journal of “Tumor (biomonthly)” was sponsored and published by the SCI since 1981. It was designated as one of the national core journals in China since 1985.