▁of ▁B irmingham . ▁On ▁the ▁recommendation ▁of ▁Wang ▁Y ing la i , ▁he ▁was ▁accepted ▁by ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Cambridge ▁to ▁study ▁under ▁David ▁Ke il in ▁at ▁the ▁Mol ten o ▁Institute ▁for ▁Research ▁in ▁Par as it ology . ▁ ▁Career ▁▁ ▁Ts ou ' s ▁doctor al ▁th esis ▁was ▁on ▁the ▁properties ▁of ▁the ▁ha em prote in ▁cy to chrome ▁c . ▁According ▁to ▁Edward ▁Sl ater , ▁the ▁research ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁step ▁towards ▁the ▁event ual ▁discovery ▁of ▁protein ' s ▁structure . ▁After ▁he ▁and ▁his ▁wife ▁both ▁acquired ▁their ▁Ph . D . ▁degrees ▁in ▁ 1 9 5 1 , ▁they ▁returned ▁to ▁the ▁newly ▁established ▁People ' s ▁Republic ▁of ▁China ▁and ▁Ts ou ▁became ▁a ▁research ▁professor ▁at ▁the ▁Shang hai ▁Institute ▁of ▁Phys i ology ▁and ▁Bio chem istry ▁where ▁Wang ▁Y ing la i ▁served ▁as ▁a ▁deput y ▁director . ▁ ▁After ▁ 1 9 5 8 , ▁Ts ou ▁was ▁a ▁member ▁of ▁the ▁team ▁at ▁the ▁Shang hai ▁Institute ▁of ▁Bio chem istry ▁that ▁first ▁achieved ▁the ▁total ▁chemical ▁synth esis ▁of ▁ins ul in ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 5 . ▁His ▁major ▁contribution ▁to ▁the ▁project ▁was ▁to ▁form ▁the ▁dis ul ph ate ▁brid ges ▁by ▁joining ▁two ▁synth etic ▁pol ype pt ides ▁using ▁ox id ation . ▁His ▁method ▁for ▁calculating ▁the ▁chemical ▁modification ▁of ▁prote ins ▁is ▁known ▁as ▁Ts ou ' s ▁equation . ▁In ▁ 1