Developmental Biology is a secondary doctoral discipline under the primary discipline of Biology, comprising the Plant Development Teaching and Research Section and the Animal Development Teaching and Research Section. The discipline includes a Biology Postdoctoral Research Station and the Institute of Flower Bioengineering. The team consists of 4 professors, seven associate professors, two lecturers, and three research staff, all of whom hold doctoral degrees. Team members have presided over 50 major research projects, including Key Projects and General Program projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the National High-Tech R&D Program (“863 Program”), and the "948 Program". The discipline has secured research funding in the past five years, totaling tens of millions of RMB. More than 200 research papers, including 40 SCI-indexed articles and 22 authored or co-authored monographs, have been published. Achievements include four patents, 10 new variety registrations, and 13 national, provincial, and ministerial awards.

The discipline’s primary research directions include: plant flower organ developmental biology; plant reproductive biology; anthocyanin biosynthesis and light signal transduction; innovation and utilization of plant stress-resistant germplasm resources; establishment of plant bioreactors for medicinal proteins; bioinformatics; mammalian gamete preservation and utilization; transgenic animals as bioreactors; proliferation and differentiation of mammalian pancreatic stem cells; molecular mechanisms of muscle development; molecular mechanisms of mammalian embryo implantation; and molecular mechanisms of somatic cell-induced reprogramming. The disciplinary team primarily undertakes teaching responsibilities for undergraduate and graduate courses, including Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Developmental Biology, Immunology, Modern Molecular Biology Experiments, and Introduction to Biophysics. Molecular Biology and Advanced Experiments in Modern Molecular Biology are recognized as university-level elite courses, with the Molecular Biology course being awarded the Heilongjiang Provincial Elite Course designation in 2009. The discipline leader is Professor Xu Zhichao.