Ph.D.Supervisor
Email: xuchengli@pumc.edu.cn
Phone: 010-69156924
Technology field and major achievements:
Research direction:
Physiology and psychology research in extreme environments (Antarctica)
Main achievements:
Chengli Xu is currently a researcher, level-2 professor, PhD. tutor, and PI at the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences (IBMS), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. She has participated in the 22nd and 24th China Antarctic Scientific Expedition. Since 2001, she has completed comprehensive research of 35 expedition teams in four stations, namely, the Great Wall Station, Zhongshan Station, Kunlun Station and Taishan Station. She has formed an inter-field study model among special environmental physiology, medicine, psychology, environment, etc., and cultivated a research team of Antarctic medicine. In 2010, the IBMS co-established the "United Laboratory of Polar Medical Sciences" with the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration, serving as the Executive Vice Director. From 2006 to present (2024), she has been the only Chinese representative of Joint Expert Group Human Biology & Medicine (JEGHBM) of Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), reporting on the progress of medicine research and support of Chinese Antarctic expedition to the Medical Working Group of the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP) every year. She is also the only medical expert who worked on the feasibility demonstration of establishing the Kunlun Station at the highest point of the Antarctic ice sheet in 2009. In 2017, she was hired as the guest professor of the “State Key Lab of Space Medicine Fundamentals and Application” and an expert in the review of the space station engineering aerospace medical project. She was awarded as Outstanding Individual of Chinese Polar Expedition by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of the People’s Republic of China and the State Oceanic Administration in 2017. In 2016, she was awarded Outstanding Achievement Award by the Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.
Through more than 20 years of progressive studies from phenotypes to underlying mechanisms, a number of achievements have been made, providing scientific data and suggestions for the selection, adaptation, protection, station management, and relevant policy formulation of expeditioners.
The representative achievements are as follows:
1. Formulation of national industry standard
In 2018, as the first author, Chengli Xu took the lead in establishing marine industry standard of the People's Republic of China HY/T 236-2018《The requirements of pre-departure physical examination for polar expeditioners》, which is currently the only national standard for polar medicine in China. The Expert Review Committee has evaluated it to reach the international advanced level. This national standard provided key technical support for the scientific and standardized selection of polar expeditioners, and minimized the risks of developing potential diseases in Antarctica.
2. Establishment of medical selection system for pre-selected inland expeditioners of Kunlun Station
From 2007 to 2023, she led the research team to carry out the physiopsychological dynamic testing of the pre-selected expeditioners every year in the Tibet plateau, screening pre-selected expeditioners who are susceptible to hypoxia. They have established a set of medical screening system for the population susceptible to hypoxia, which provides important scientific support for selecting qualified inland expeditioners.
3. Publication of a series of scientific research achievements and their applications
In the past 20 years, Chinese Antarctic medical research has mainly been led by the research team of Chengli Xu. From 2001 to 2024, a systematic study of 35 Antarctic expedition teams at four Chinese Antarctic research stations found that the regulation of neurohumoral-endocrine-immune network, cardiovascular function, pulmonary function, circadian rhythm, sleep and mood showed significant changes in the extreme Antarctic environment, and they conducted in-depth study of the underlying mechanisms.
Chengli Xu, as the first author and corresponding author, published an original research article on international top-ranked journal (Molecular Psychiatry) in 2015. This study provided novel methods for uncovering the correlation between human phenotypes and molecular mechanisms and it had the highest impact factor among all the research articles concerning Antarctic medical sciences since 1962. They found that emotional disorders, including tension (anxiety), depression, anger, and fatigue, were strongly positively correlated with male testosterone levels. Seventy differentially expressed genes closely related to emotional disorders were identified, including 28 novel genes.
Series of studies also found that the over-winter expeditioners at Zhongshan Station exhibited typical thyroid hormone changes accompanied by a series of negative emotions, known as “Antarctic T3 syndrome”. The isolation of Zhongshan Station in terms of geography and interpersonal communication was an important influencing factor.
A 17-months following study on the circadian rhythm, sleep, and psychology of winter-over expeditioners at Zhongshan Station found that there are two months of polar nights and two months of polar days each year at Zhongshan Station, which can lead to desynchrony of circadian rhythm, sleep disorders, increased incidence of sub-seasonal affective disorder, increased negative emotions, and reduced communication among expeditioners. This study also proposed corresponding preventive and therapeutic measures such as blue light therapy, optimizing expeditioners' working schedule, and improving the lighting systemin the station.
We studied the sleep and mood states of the 31st inland expedition team of Kunlun Station using the "gold standard" polysomnography (PSG) and psychological scale. Our study found that hypoxia and extreme cold on the Antarctic ice sheet plateau induced decrease in deep sleep and increase in negative emotions.
The dietary survey identified a dietary structure pattern of winter-over expeditioners that is high in protein, fat, oil, salt, and low in carbohydrates, calcium, and vitamins. This study proposed scientific dietary structure to station management.
4. Training of personnel specialized in medical research under extreme environments
Based on the physiopsychological phenotype changes of Antarctic expeditioners, Chengli Xu guide master and doctoral students to conduct corresponding in-depth mechanism research. These scientific questions are also fundamental issues in life sciences.
Representativeness:
Articles published in the past five years:
（* corresponding author，#co-first author）
1. C Xu #*; X Ju #;D Song #; F Huang #; D Tang; Z Zou; C Zhang; T Joshi; LJia; W Xu; K-F Xu; Q Wang; Y Xiong; Z Guo; X Chen; F Huang; J Xu; Y Zhong; YZhu; Y Peng; L Wang; X Zhang; R Jiang; D Li; T Jiang; D Xu; C Jiang *. Anassociation analysis between psychophysical characteristics and genome-widegene expression changes in human adaption to the extreme climate at the Antarctic Dome Argus. Molecular Psychiatry. 2015 Apr, 20: 536-544.
2. Liu S, Wang J, Chen S, Chai J, Wen J, Tian X, Chen N, Xu C*. Vagal predominance correlates with mood state changes of winter-over expeditioners during prolonged Antarctic residence. PLoS One. 2024 Jul 5;19(7):e0298751.
3. Wang J, Liu S, Xie Y, Xu C*. Association analysis of gut microbiota-metabolites-neuroendocrine changes in male rats acute exposure to simulated altitude of 5500 m. Sci Rep. 2023 Jun 7;13(1):9225.
4. Wang J, Liu S, Sun L, Kong Z, Chai J, Wen J, Tian X, Chen N, Xu C*. Association of attenuated leptin signaling pathways with impaired cardiac function under prolonged high-altitude hypoxia. Sci Rep. 2024 May 3;14(1):10206.
5. Song Q, Liu S, Wang J, Chai J, Wen J, Xu C*. Hypoxia promotes white adipose tissues browning in rats under simulated environment at altitude of 5000 m. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2023 Jul 23;666:146-153.
6. Wu Xiaopei; Liu Shiying; Wang Xi; Wang Jianan; Qin Pengrui; Xu Chengli *. Different physiopsychological changes between AMS-susceptible and AMS-resistant pre-selected Antarctic expeditioners in Tibet. Advances in Polar Science. 2021 Sep, 32(3): 239-247.
7. XU Chengli *; LIU Shiying; KONG Zhanping; CHEN Nan. Sleep architecture, periodic breathing and mood disturbance of expeditioners at Kunlun Station (4087 m) in Antarctica. Advances in Polar Science. 2020 Jun, 31(3): 215-223.
8. Liu X, Liu S, Xu C *. Effects of leptin on HPG axis and reproductive function in male rat in simulated altitude of 5500 m hypoxia environment. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2020 Aug, 529(1):104-111.
9. Nan Chen; Quan Wu; Yanlei Xiong; Guang Chen; Dandan Song; Chengli Xu*. Circadian Rhythm and Sleep During Prolonged Antarctic Residence at Chinese Zhongshan Station. Wilderness & Environmental Medicine. 2016 Dec, 27(4): 458-467.
10. Chen, Nan; Wu, Quan; Li, Hao; Zhang, Tao; Xu, Chengli *. Different adaptations of Chinese winter-over expeditioners during prolonged Antarctic and sub-Antarctic residence. International Journal of Biometeorology. 2016 Feb, 60(5): 737-747.
11. Xiong Y, Qu Z, Chen N, Gong H, Song M, Chen X, Du J*, Xu C*. The local corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 2 signalling pathway partly mediates hypoxia-induced increases in lipolysis via the cAMP-protein kinase Asignalling pathway in white adipose tissue. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2014 Jul, 392(1-2):106-14.
12. Pengrui Qin, Jianan Wang, Shiying Liu, Xi Wang, Jiamin Chai, Qiaoyue Song, Chengli Xu*. Effects of Simulated Hypoxic Environment at 5000 m Altitude on Intestinal Immunity and Gut Microbiota in Mice. Progress in Modern Biomedicine,2022,22(08):1401- 1407.
13. XIE Ya-lei，MEI Song，XIONG Yan-lei，LIU Shi-ying，XU Cheng-li*. Effects of simulated 5500 m hypobaric and hypoxia on HPT axis and intestinal flora in rats. Chin J Appl Physiol. 2020, 36(05):432-437+531.
14. LU Yan-hua，XIONG Yan-lei，FANG Lu，CHEN Nan，XU Cheng-li *. Effects of rapid and progressive ascent to Tibet plateau on cardiovascular function and stress factors of pre-selected expeditioners for Chinese Antarctic expedition for Kunlun station. Chin J Appl Physiol. 2020, 36(05):419-424.
15. Xiong Yanlei, Pengmao Jiacuo, Chen Nan, Song Mintao, Xu Chengli*. Effects of Antarctic Dome A Hypoxia and an Extreme Cold Environment on Catecholamines and Myocardial Enzymes of Chinese Expeditioners. CHINESE JOURNAL OF POLAR RESEARCH. 2016, 28(3):311-316.
16. Chen Nan, Jin Wei, Tang Depei, Zhang Liwei, Xu Chengli*. Dietary Survey of the 22nd and24th Chinese Winter-over Expeditioners at Zhongshan Station. CHINESE JOURNAL OF POLAR RESEARCH. 2014, 26(4):496-501.
National Standard:
Xu Chengli（leader and the first author）; Jiang Chengyu; Xiong Yanlei; Chen Nan; Sun Jinhai; Zhao Ping; Li Chunlei; Si Jianwen; Chen hua; Chen Yongxiang ; 《The requirements of pre-departure physical examination for polar expeditioners》,2018-02-13, National Marine Standardization Committee, HY/T236-2018 (Chinese standard)，Release : 2018-02，Implementation : 2018-05.
Monograph:
1. Research of Physiological Constant and Health Condition in Chines-Dataset of Heilongjiang Province (2008)，Peking Union Medical College Press, 2010-10，Editor in chief：Zhu Guangjin, Associate editor：Han Shaomei, Xu Chengli
2. Research of Physiological Constant and Health Condition in Chines-Dataset of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (2009-2010)，Peking Union Medical College Press，2010-12，Editor in chief：Zhu Guangjin, Associate editor：Han Shaomei, Xu Chengli, Qi Baoshen
3. Chinese Polar Environment Comprehensive Investigation & Assessment Programmes (CHINARE) 02-01 Investigation of the Ecological Environment Background of Station Based Organisms, Naval Publication, 2016-06, Xu Chengli (Polar Medicine Section)
4. From the mantle to deep space - the science of the Antarctic land system, Naval Publication, 2018-07, Xu Chengli (Polar Medicine Section)