On the afternoon of January 6th, the Hubei Provincial Science and Technology Innovation Conference was grandly held at the Hongshan Auditorium. The 2024 Hubei Provincial Science and Technology Awards were announced at the conference. Tongji hospital won 9 awards, including 3 first prizes, 4 second prizes, and 2 third prizes, fully demonstrating the continuous efforts and contributions of Tongji people in promoting medical progress and serving the health of the people.
The conference specially set up “Science Star Walking Red Carpet. Professor Wei Xiang from the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, as one of the 10 scientist representatives and the only representative in the medical field of the province, walked the red carpet with his team, showcasing the charm of science stars. At the awarding ceremony, Professor Hu Junbo from the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery was awarded by Mr. Wang Zhonglin, the Secretary of the Hubei Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, adding glory to the scientific and technological innovation of Tongji hospital.
Professor Hu Junbo's Team from the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery won the First Prize of Hubei Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award for the project "Innovation and Application of Key Technologies for Precise Diagnosis and Treatment of Gastric Cancer". Early diagnosis, minimally invasive surgery, and individualized precise treatment of gastric cancer have long been major frontier issues in the international gastrointestinal medical field. Improving the early diagnosis rate of gastric cancer and improving the prognosis of advanced gastric cancer patients are also clinical diagnosis and treatment bottlenecks that China urgently needs to break through. To this end, Professor Hu Junbo's team has been working for more than 20 years. They were the first to systematically clarify the mechanism of gastric cancer occurrence and development, developed non-invasive precise diagnosis methods and test kits for gastric cancer, and established a new system for precise treatment of gastric cancer. The team have been granted 4 Chinese invention patents, 1 American invention patent, and 1 CFDA new drug clinical trial approval. They have also published more than 230 papers in international authoritative journals such as Cell, PNAS, JCI, and NC. The team have written 10 monographs, and participated in compiling 22 guidelines and expert consensuses. The results have been widely promoted and applied in many top hospitals in China, significantly improving the quality of life and prognosis of gastric cancer patients and promoting the leapfrog improvement of gastric cancer clinical diagnosis and treatment level.
Professor Wang Zhihua's Team from the Department of Urology won the First Prize of Hubei Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award for the project "Innovation and Application of Key Technologies for Precise Diagnosis and Treatment of Prostate Cancer". Prostate cancer is the most common malignant tumor in the male urinary system, and precise diagnosis and treatment are the core issues to improve the early diagnosis rate and treatment effect. With the support of the National Key R&D Program and other projects, the project team carried out systematic research on the precise diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. They created an intelligent three-classification model for suspected prostate cancer, realizing precise screening of suitable puncture population and avoiding unnecessary puncture for 72% of patients. They also developed a new targeted fusion puncture technology, reducing the missed diagnosis rate by 19%. The team innovatively established a new individualized treatment model. Through focal treatment and improved radical surgery, they significantly protected postoperative urinary control and sexual function. They revealed the progression and drug resistance mechanisms of prostate cancer from multiple angles and found new drug targets for precise medication and improving patient prognosis. The project results have been published in 82 papers in authoritative journals such as Cell, Nat Genet, J Clin Invest, and Eur Urol. They have obtained 7 patents and software copyrights, written 20 guidelines and consensuses, and 11 monographs. The research results have been promoted and applied in hundreds of hospitals, significantly reducing the missed diagnosis rate and increasing the patient's five-year survival rate by 10%-15%, greatly improving the quality of life and producing significant social benefits.
Professor Chu Qian's Team from the Department of Thoracic Oncology won the First Prize of Hubei Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award for the project "Innovation and Clinical Application of Key Technologies for Immunotherapy of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer". Aiming at the clinical problems of low response rate and high drug resistance of immunotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the team, with the support of the National Key R&D Program and the National Natural Science Foundation of China, has been engaged in more than ten years of in-depth research. They proposed the new concept of "immune plus" combined with drug treatment, systematically developed 3 immunotherapy screening indicators and strategies, and innovatively established two treatment plans, IT joint (immune + multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitor) and IA joint (immune + anti-vascular). They successfully developed two new double-target immunotherapy drugs and obtained approval for 5 Sino-US clinical studies. The team published 162 original papers in authoritative journals such as The Lancet Respiratory Medicine and Cell Metabolism, and participated in 13 guidelines and 52 consensuses. The research results have been promoted and applied in more than 40 large top hospitals in China, increasing the objective response rate of immunotherapy for NSCLC patients by 31.7% and reducing the risk of death by 59%. The project has promoted the in-depth transformation of NSCLC immunotherapy from theoretical innovation to clinical application, bringing new hope for further improving the survival time and quality of patients.
In addition, as the first completing institution, Tongji Hospital has won other awards. The project "New Asthma Molecular Phenotypes, Mechanisms, and Biomarkers" by Professor Zhen Guohua's team from the Department of Respiratory Medicine and the project "Epigenetic Mechanisms of Type 1 Diabetes" by Professor Wang Congyi's team from the Biomedical Center won the second prize of Hubei Provincial Natural Science Award; the project "Innovation and Clinical Application of Key Technologies and Systems of Human Assisted Reproduction" by Professor Jin Lei's team from the Reproductive Medical Center and the project "Creation and Application of New Strategies for Central Core Area Regulation of Peripheral Organ Functions" by Professor Xiang Hongbing's team from the Department of Anesthesiology won the second prize of Hubei Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award; the project "Innovation and Clinical Application of Key Technologies for Diagnosis and Treatment of Prostate Diseases" by Professor Zeng Xiaoyong's team from the Department of Urology and the project "Innovation and Application of Key Technologies for Diagnosis and Treatment of COVID-19 Infection" by Professor Cheng Liming's team from the Department of Laboratory won the third prize of Hubei Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award.
In recent years, Tongji Hospital has continuously promoted the "from-top-to-bottom" scientific research strategy, focusing on major medical problems and overcoming the key problems from basic research to clinical transformation. The 9 achievements awarded this time are not only the affirmation of our hospital's scientific contribution by the Hubei Provincial People's Government but also reflect our hospital's responsibility and commitment to serving the health of the people and promoting scientific and technological progress. Our hospital will take this award as an opportunity to continue to deepen the synergy of medical care, education and research, focus on the cutting-edge medical technology, and promote the emergence of more excellent scientific research achievements, contributing more Tongji wisdom and strength to the construction of "Healthy China".
