Fujian Functional Materials Engineering Research Center (FMERC), officially approved by Fujian Development and Reform Commission in December 2001, is a provincial engineering research center. Both Functional Materials Institute of Fuzhou University under the state “211” key discipline Physical Chemistry and Fujian Longhua Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Fujian Coal Group (currently known as Fujian Energy Group) are jointly responsible for its construction and operations. FMERC has GMP-compliant facilities including a large-scale drug synthesis workshop and two pilot bulk drug production lines. Based on this center, Fujian Photodynamic Therapy and Diagnosis Engineering Technology Research Center was incubated and approved by the Science and Technology Department of Fujian Province in May 2009. It was functionalized as a platform and base to promote development of photodynamic drugs and technical services for photodynamic therapy. FMERC created a self-reliant novel photodynamic anti-cancer drug belonging to Chemistry 1.1 level --- "PHOTOCYNINE" and its injection, which is the first one to be approval by China Food and Drug Administration（CFDA）for clinical trial. Now, PHOTOCYNINE is ongoing its Phase II clinical trial research. It is expected that Phase II and Phase III clinical trials of PHOTOCYNINE or the submission of application forms for a new drug license will be completed by the end of 2017. At present, the center focuses itself on developing bio-photosensitive medical materials, dye-sensitized solar energy anode materials, nano-sensing functional materials, and environmental protection and sewage disposal multi-functional materials and related applied technologies and engineering. While focusing on the industrialization of scientific and technological research fruits, the center absorbs advanced, mature and applicable research products or key techniques at home and abroad, after solving problems in fruit transformation and key technology, and then adapts them for their commercialization to serve for Fujian “Haixi Construction Program”.
In the past 5 years, the center has undertaken 1 major science and technology of new medicine development of National Critical Project entrusted by the Ministry of Science and Technology, 2 Major Projects entrusted by the Department of Science and Technology in Fujian Province, 1 Key Project of International Cooperation, 1 Industrialization Project entrusted by Fujian Development and Reform Commission, 6 National Natural Science Foundations, and 7 Enterprise commissioned projects. A total sum of RMB 10 million for scientific research has been in place. So far, it has many authorized patents and has published nearly 100 articles. The center has imported lots of large-scale precision and precious equipment and instruments. Besides, equipment for pilot trial production has been installed in the pilot production workshop which covers an area of 150 square meters. There are in the center 1000 square meters intended for scientific research.
