On November 26, the award ceremony of 2023 Chinese Medical Science and Technology Award was held in Beijing. The research on "Establishment and Wide Implementation of Targeted Therapy System for Perioperative Period of Lung Cancer" led by Professor Wenzhao Zhong’s team, and "Establishment and Wide Implementation of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Technology System for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension" led by Professor Jing Zhicheng ’s team, both won the first prize of the Chinese Medical Science and Technology Award.

Professor Zhong Wenzhao (right) and Professor Jing Zhicheng (left) at the award ceremony

"The Chinese Medical Science and Technology Award" is a scientific and technological award established by the Chinese Medical Association for the national medical and health industry. It is one of the first awards approved by the National Health Commission and the Ministry of Science and Technology through the support of social forces. It aims to reward individuals and collectives for their outstanding contributions to the field of medical science and technology. Among the 92 projects awarded with the Chinese Medical Science and Technology Award in 2022, only 8 were awarded with the first prize, and the projects led by Professor Zhong Wenzhao and Professor Jing Zhicheng of our hospital occupied two seats! This demonstrates that we have continued to make great efforts in talent cultivation, recruitment, and high-level research output and has achieved another success. 

Professor Zhong Wenzhao (third from the right) and Professor Jing Zhicheng (fourth from the left) accepting the award on behalf of their teams

Project Introduction

Establishment and Wide Implementation of Targeted Therapy System for Perioperative Period of Lung Cancer

Professor Zhong Wenzhao

This project centers on the globally significant challenge of high recurrence and metastasis rates and mortality after surgery of invasive lung cancer. It focuses on the distribution patterns and evolutionary characteristics of tumor heterogeneity among lung cancer sufferers. The approach has notably reduced the risk of postoperative recurrence of invasive lung cancer, improved the quality of life, and extended the survival of sufferers. The results of this project have been prioritized for review by the CED in China and FDA in the United States, and incorporated into the NCCN Guidelines, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) Guidelines, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Guidelines, the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Guidelines, and the consensus on diagnosis and treatment of the three major international journals of cardiothoracic surgery. The treatment model has been promoted to 284 centers across 24 countries worldwide.

The research team pioneered the multidisciplinary outpatient clinic for stage III lung cancer with lymph node metastasis in China and presided over the formulation of the consensus on clinical guidelines for lung cancer in China and the multidisciplinary team diagnosis and treatment consensus among Chinese experts. This initiative has opened up new frontiers in targeted therapies and become a paradigm for a series of perioperative targeted treatment studies, changing the pattern of perioperative targeted therapy for lung cancer around the world.

This project is clinically oriented and includes clinical research and mechanistic investigations. Through innovation in classification, strategies, and systems, it achieves positive social benefits by alleviating the societal burden of cancer and making lung cancer into a preventable and controllable chronic disease.

Establishment and Wide Implementation of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Technology System for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Professor Jing Zhicheng  

The project, addressing pulmonary arterial hypertension—a rare and complex cardiovascular disease marked by a lack of epidemiological data, poor prognosis, and limited treatment options—has overcome significant challenges in China's diagnostic classification of pulmonary arterial hypertension. The breakthroughs have been incorporated into international guidelines and consensus and have been widely used worldwide.

Professor Jing Zhicheng has taken the lead in establishing a modern treatment system for pulmonary arterial hypertension, developing treatment guidelines that align with the national context, standardizing the system for diagnosing and treating pulmonary arterial hypertension, and significantly improving the level of medical care across the country. He is instrumental in constructing an internationally recognized, high-quality pulmonary arterial hypertension clinical cohort and a comprehensive "six-dimensional" biobank, which support the development of new drugs, including the world's first monoclonal antibody medication that has completed phase IB dose-escalation trials.

This project has promoted the application of the research results to address the comprehensive, end-to-end, full-cycle, and multi-dimensional clinical issues faced by sufferers with pulmonary arterial hypertension in China. It has cultivated a large number of professionals nationwide, significantly improved sufferers' quality of life and life expectancy, and elevated China’s level of diagnosis, treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension and its research capability to the internationally first-class standard.

Scientific Research Department

Updated: November 27, 2023