On June 28, 2023, at the invitation of the Institute of Environmental Health and Ecological Safety, Professor Xu Wentao of China Agricultural University came to the Institute to carry out academic exchanges and gave an academic report entitled "Functional Nucleic Acid Biosensing and Nanonutrition". The academic report was presided over by Professor Xu Wanzhen, Dean of the Institute, and teachers and students from the School of Environmental and Safety Engineering, the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and the School of Food and Biological Engineering participated in the exchange activity.

Functional nucleic acid is a class of nucleic acid molecules that can replace traditional proteases and antibodies, have independent structures, and perform specific biological functions, including aptamers, cleavage ribozymes, mismatch ribozymes, luminescent functional nucleic acids, primers, nucleic acid nanomaterials, nucleic acid metal complexes, etc. Professor Xu Wentao's team has been committed to the research of functional nucleic acids for many years, from PCR cloning to nucleic acid sensing, from qualitative to quantitative, from single reproduction to universal primer multiplexing, from liquid phase amplification to paper-based rapid detection, from electrophoresis strip to on-site color development, from 2h amplification to 2 min ultra-fast amplification, from polymerase amplification to strand substitution amplification, from enzymatic amplification to non-enzymatic amplification, from nucleic acid detection to non-nucleic acid detection, from primers to aptamers, from invisible liquids to tangible nucleic acid hydrogels, from fluorescent labeling to luminescent nucleic acids, From large samples to single cells, from genes to epigenetics, etc. In the report, Professor Xu introduced in detail the latest progress of his team in the construction of nucleic acid functional materials for biosensors and the latest research results in luminescence sensors, nucleic acid nanozymes, ribose switches, etc., and exchanged and discussed with teachers and students on the spot, and answered everyone's questions in detail.

Xu Wentao, Professor, was selected as the "New Century Talent of the Ministry of Education" (2013)/"Beijing Science and Technology Rising Star" Program (2014), the "Talent Cultivation and Development Support Program" of China Agricultural University Young Rising Star Class A and "Functional Nucleic Acid" Young Scientist Innovation Team, Deputy Director of the Key Laboratory of Safety Evaluation of Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms (Edible) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Deputy Director of the Laboratory of Quality and Safety Risk Assessment of Agricultural Product Storage and Preservation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (Beijing), and the Agricultural Product Quality Supervision, Inspection and Testing Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs(Beijing) Deputy Director, Deputy Director of the International Baking Industry Innovation Factory of China Agricultural University, Chairman of the Modern Nutrition and Health Testing Professional Committee of the Beijing Food Society, Secretary-General of the Nucleic Acid Aptamer Cross Technology Branch of the Beijing Society of Physical and Chemical Analysis and Testing Technology. He served as the Review Editor of the SCI journal Fron.Bioeng. Biotech. and the Section Editor of Mini-Rev Org. Chem., and presided over more than 20 projects such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China and major instrument projects. He has published Chinese and English monographs "Nucleic Acid Biosensors-Theory" and "Functional Nuceic Acids Detection irFood Safety" and "Food Safety", a textbook for the 13th Five-Year Plan of "Three Rural Areas". He has won 13 scientific research awards, including the second prize of Hubei Provincial Science and Technology Invention Award and the second prize of Science and Technology Innovation Award of China Food Science and Technology Society. Research expertise: He has been engaged in research on functional nucleic acids, functional foods and biosafety for a long time.