The University of Oxford and China's Sichuan University have jointly launched a center to bolster research cooperation on gastrointestinal cancer.

Representatives from the two sides signed a contract for the Sichuan University-University of Oxford Huaxi Joint Centre for Gastrointestinal Cancer during a recent video conference, according to a statement by Sichuan University.

The international collaboration started in June 2019. It plans to set up a gastrointestinal cancer center in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, and research platforms at the two universities. These units will work together in studying the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal tumors, as well as developing management strategies for treating cancer patients.

Li Yanrong, president of Sichuan University, said the joint center will be an open research platform where scholars from the two universities and their global counterparts can jointly carry out scientific research, launch talent-training programs, hold international academic conferences and publish papers.