Recently, the winners of the 25th Wu Jieping–Paul Janssen Medical & Pharmaceutical Award (hereinafter referred to as the Wu-Yang Award) were officially announced. Professor Sun Xiaodong from Shanghai General Hospital affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine received the prestigious award in recognition of his outstanding achievements in the diagnosis and treatment of blinding eye diseases and the development of innovative therapies.
Professor Sun Xiaodong is a chief physician and doctoral supervisor. He is a distinguished professor under the Ministry of Education’s “Changjiang Scholars Program,” a recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, and a nationally recognized expert with outstanding contributions. He currently serves as Vice President of Shanghai General Hospital affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Director of the Ophthalmology Center, Deputy Director of the National Clinical Research Center for Eye Diseases, and Director of the National Key Clinical Specialty in Ophthalmology. He also holds numerous leadership roles, including Chair of the Shanghai Medical Association Ophthalmology Branch and national committee member of both the Ophthalmology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association and the Chinese Medical Doctor Association. Internationally, he serves as faculty for the European School for Advanced Studies in Ophthalmology, an international fellow of the American Macular Society, and a member of the American Society of Retina Specialists.
With over 30 years of experience in clinical practice and research, Professor Sun has dedicated his career to advancing the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases in China. In recent years, breakthroughs in gene therapy have brought transformative hope for various conditions. At the forefront of this global medical frontier, Professor Sun and his team have pioneered a comprehensive system for the diagnosis and treatment of inherited retinal diseases. After a decade of dedicated effort, they have developed a patient-centered gene therapy research and development platform, overcome critical technical barriers, and established internationally compliant diagnostic, gene testing, and clinical evaluation protocols tailored to the Chinese population. He has led the development of five national expert consensus documents in this field. Professor Sun holds 12 national invention patents and has completed six technology transfers. In 2021, he achieved China’s first gene therapy for Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), marking a “zero to one” breakthrough. This accomplishment received an IND (Investigational New Drug) approval from Chinese regulatory authorities and a rare disease drug designation from the U.S. FDA. The treatment is now in Phase III clinical trials. To date, he has led four advanced gene and cell therapy clinical trials as the Leading Principal Investigator, restoring sight to 57 patients with genetic eye diseases. He also founded the Rare Disease Diagnosis and Treatment Center under the National Clinical Research Center for Eye Diseases and was instrumental in establishing the Shanghai Clinical Research Center for Gene Therapy.
His innovative research has been published in top international journals, including Nature Medicine, Cell, Science Translational Medicine, and JAMA Ophthalmology, with 199 SCI-indexed papers—116 as corresponding or co-corresponding author—with a cumulative impact factor of 1089 and a single-paper citation high of 233, qualifying as an ESI Highly Cited Paper. He has also published 87 papers in core Chinese journals and contributed to the formulation of eight clinical guidelines, pathways, and expert consensus documents. He has been selected for numerous talent programs, including the National Health Commission’s Outstanding Young and Middle-aged Expert Program, the “National Ten Thousand Talents Plan” supported by eight central ministries, the Ministry of Education’s “New Century Excellent Talents Program,” and Shanghai’s Leading Talent Program.
Beyond his scientific contributions, Professor Sun is also committed to improving eye health for underprivileged populations. He initiated the “Eye Health Philanthropy Fund” to address the social challenges of blindness and poverty caused by eye disease, providing support to 2,500 patients in need and advancing the “Vision 2030” health initiative. He has received numerous honors, including the National May Day Labor Medal, the “Bethune-style Good Doctor of China,” “People’s Good Doctor of China,” “Advanced Worker of Shanghai,” “Top Ten Doctors of Shanghai,” and “Shanghai Craftsman.”
Established in 1994 with approval from the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Wu Jieping–Paul Janssen Medical & Pharmaceutical Award aims to recognize young and middle-aged medical professionals who have made significant contributions in the field and gained broad recognition from society and their peers. Administered by the International Exchange and Cooperation Center of the National Health Commission, the award is widely respected for its scientific rigor and seriousness, and it stands as a highly coveted honor among China’s medical and health professionals.
