According to the latest Essential Science Indicators (ESI) data released on March 12, Huazhong University of Science and Technology’s (HUST) discipline of Molecular Biology & Genetics has entered the global top 1‰ for the first time. Among 1,222 institutions worldwide included in the ESI top 1% for this discipline, HUST ranks 120th globally and is one of only 12 research institutions in mainland China to achieve this distinction.

This milestone development reflects the collective endeavor of multiple HUST units, including Tongji Hospital, Union Hospital, the School of Basic Medicine, the School of Life Science and Technology, the School of Public Health, the School of Electronic Information and Communication, the Institute of Reproductive Health, the School of Pharmacy, and the Department of Forensic Medicine. The discipline’s high-impact papers rank fifth nationwide in terms of average citations per paper, with a total citation count of 129,172, of which 85.5 percent are contributed by the university’s medical schools.

With this achievement, HUST now has five of its twelve medical and life science-related ESI disciplines in the global top 1‰—accounting for half of the university’s total top 1‰ disciplines. The number of HUST’s medical and life science disciplines in the top 1‰ ranks seventh among universities nationwide, forming a competitive disciplinary cluster characterized by the coordinated and balanced development of Clinical Medicine, Pharmacology & Toxicology, Biology & Biochemistry, Environmental Science & Ecology, and Molecular Biology & Genetics.

All of HUST’s medical and life science-related ESI disciplines entered the global top 1% in March 2021. Following this latest history-making event, two other disciplines—Social Sciences and Immunology—have seen continued growth in international academic influence, with their proximity to the top 1‰ both exceeding 90 percent, signaling a strong potential for further advancement.