When the Institute of antibiotics was established in 1958, to find anti-tumor antibiotics was one of the three important tasks. Though The tumor research group was established. In 1979, the oncology department was established formally, and Zhen Yongsu was the director of the Department. At present, the oncology department mainly undertakes and carries out three research work: (1) Discovery and development of novel anti-tumor antibiotics; (2) Research of anti-tumor antibodies, especially the antibody drug conjugates; (3) Explore the tumor related target molecules and underlying molecular mechanism, and pharmacological mechanism of anti-tumor drugs.

A variety of anti-tumor drugs screening methods and models were established in the oncology department, and a variety of anti-tumor antibiotics were obtained and developed, such as guanghuimycin, zhengguangmycin, Pingyangmycin, boanmycin, lidamycin, Yunnanmycin, Calicheamicin, etc. Pingyangmycin and boanmycin have become the anticancer drugs used in clinic. Pingyangmycin is listed as the national basic medicine, and its research achievements have won the second prize of the National Invention Award. In the aspect of antibody drug research, the antibody drug conjugates were prepared with Pingyangmycin, boanmycin and lidamycin respectively; High efficiency, miniaturization and multi target of antibody drugs were the major direction of this part of work; Construction of double function antibody or ligand drugs with tumor targeting and/or immunomodulatory effects was also explored. The research on anti-tumor biochemical regulators was carried out, and the first prize of the National Educational Commission Award for scientific and technological progress was awarded for the research on nucleoside transport as the target of tumor chemotherapy. Other studies such as the role of various tumor related genes (such as MR-1, G3BP, myostatin, etc.) in the process of tumor occurrence, tumor cell death related receptor, TRAIL apoptosis signaling pathway targeting fusion protein, anti hepatic fibrosis and anti pulmonary fibrosis drugs, new microtubule inhibitors, new compound drugs, etc.

Research groups: SHAO Rongguang, HE Hongwei, CHEN Shuzhen, LI Liang, MIAO Qingfang, LIU Xiujun and ZHENG Yanbo.