Some of the smallest changes in materials are also the hardest to see. Professor Gao Peng’s team at PKU School of Physics, together with collaborators from the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Suzhou Laboratory, has developed a new method to detect tiny hidden deformations in layered materials. Using confined light known as hyperbolic polaritons, the team achieved non-destructive picometre-scale sensing of buried structural changes in hexagonal boron nitride. The method detects deformations as small as about 10 picometres (10⁻¹¹ m), opening a new way to probe hidden stress and atomic-scale structural changes in advanced materials. Read more: #PKUResearch#

Can a new HER2-targeted therapy improve outcomes for patients with gastroesophageal cancer? Professor Shen Lin from Peking University Cancer Hospital led the global Phase III HERIZON-GEA-01 study evaluating zanidatamab-based treatments for HER2-positive gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma. Compared with trastuzumab-based therapy, zanidatamab plus chemotherapy significantly prolonged progression-free survival. The combination of zanidatamab, tislelizumab, and chemotherapy also extended overall survival to 26.4 months, compared with 19.2 months for the standard treatment. Published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), the study highlights a promising new first-line treatment option for patients with HER2-positive gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma. Read more: #PKUResearch#

Professor Liu Jian of the College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering and the Center for Computational Science and Engineering, Peking University, has been elected as Member at Large of the Council of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science (IAQMS). This distinction follows Professor Liu’s election as an IAQMS Fellow in 2025, further recognizing his outstanding contributions to the field of theoretical and computational chemistry. Established in 1967 by pioneering scientists, including Nobel Laureates Louis de Broglie and John A. Pople, IAQMS brings together leading scientists in the field of quantum molecular science worldwide. #PKUResearch#

How can machine computation simulate the way the human brain thinks? 🧠 The answer may lie in neural dynamical systems and controllable compute-in-memory. Every second, our brains process countless electrical signals, allowing us to perceive, react, and make decisions almost instantly. Yet when computers simulate these neural dynamics, even tiny delays can become a major challenge. In applications such as surgical robotics, autonomous systems, and other real-time scenarios, every millisecond matters. A research team led by Prof. Yang Yuchao from the PKU School of Integrated Circuits, in collaboration with the Shanghai Institute of Microsystems and Information Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is tackling this challenge with a new phase-change memristor (PCM) chip that enables neural dynamical systems to run in under 10 milliseconds. By combining compute-in-memory architecture with adaptive time-stepping, the team is bringing brain-inspired computing one step closer to the remarkable speed and efficiency of the human brain. #PKUResearch#