ZJU clinches Grand Prize of the State Science and Technology Progress Award

Led by LI Lanjuan, Member of Chinese Academy of Science, “Major innovations and technological breakthroughs in the prevention and treatment system of emerging infectious diseases: Prevention of human infection with H7N9” won the grand prize of the State Science & Technology Progress Award.

Emerging infectious diseases have long posed a severe threat to global safety and constituted a significant challenge to mankind all over the globe. This research team achieved 6 major innovations and technological breakthroughs in discovery of new pathogens, detection of infectious sources, identification of the etiological mechanism, clinical therapy, development of new vaccines and diagnostic technologies. They offered “Chinese approach” and the “Chinese technology” in regard to prevention and treatment of emerging infectious diseases, shared the “Chinese experience” for the world and showcased the “Chinese power” in this importane clinical area.

The World Health Organization lauded the Chinese prevention and control system for infectious diseases as an international paradigm. The team developed a fast detection system for early pathogens of emerging infectious diseases, at the core of which are deep sequencing and high-throughput data analysis, created a prediction and pre-warning system and a prevention and control model for emerging infectious diseases, established a new and precise etiological research system for emerging infectious diseases on the basis of the protein structure and the mammal model, pioneered in the development of the “Chinese technology” in treating patients diagnosed with severe emerging infectious diseases, devised a technological system for fast development of flu vaccines, and set up an effective research and development platform for diagnostic agents of emerging infectious diseases.