Jin-Ping Xi, Secretary of Shanghai CPC visited ION in the afternoon of May 21, 2007, accompanied by Yi-Cui Yin (Deputy Secretary of Shanghai CPC), Ding-Hua Yang (Deputy Mayor of Shanghai), Yi-Ping Li (Director, Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai), Xuan-Hai Li (Party Secretary, Science & Education Commission of Shanghai), Mian-Heng Jiang (President of Shanghai Branch, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Ren-Chang Hua (Party Secretary of Shanghai Branch, Chinese Academy of Sciences) and Kai-Xian Chen (Party Secretary of SIBS).

ION faculty members hosted their visit. After listening to a brief introduction of ION, Mr. Xi visited the Laboratory of Neurobiology of Disease, the Laboratory of Neural Development and the Two-Photon Microscopy Facility. Drs. Zhi-Qi Xiong and Yu-Qiang Ding gave an overview of their research progress in epilepsy, mental retardation and depression. Mr. Xi encouraged ION members to strive for breakthroughs in the basic research of neurological diseases.