The winners of the 2024 Guangdong Provincial Science and Technology Awards were recently announced. Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center (ZOC) of Sun Yat-sen University secured a total of 3 Science and Technology Progress Awards, comprising two First Prizes and one Second Prize.
2024 First Prize for Science and Technology Progress
01. Project Title: Development and Application of Key Technologies for the Intelligent System of Cataract Prevention and Treatment
Principal Contributors (Affiliations):
LIN Haotian (ZOC), LIN Duoru (ZOC), WU Xiaohang (ZOC), YANG Yahan (ZOC), CHEN Wenben (ZOC), LI Ruiyang (ZOC), LONG Erping (Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences; ZOC Alumnus), XU Feng (Tsinghua University), LIU Xiyang (Xidian University), LIU Zhenzhen (ZOC), CHEN Jingjing (ZOC), WANG Ruixin (ZOC), LI Wangting (Shenzhen Eye Hospital; ZOC Alumna), XIAO Wei (ZOC)
Project Overview:
Cataract is the leading cause of blindness worldwide, with over 150 million patients in China. The main types are age-related and congenital cataracts. Traditional eye disease prevention and treatment models heavily rely on ophthalmologists and specialized equipment. However, the lengthy training cycle and significant shortage of ophthalmologists leave many elderly and pediatric cataract patients without timely, appropriate diagnosis and treatment. Leveraging the State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, this project established a world-leading intelligent prevention and treatment system for cataracts to address challenges in large-scale screening, diagnosis, and precise treatment. Key innovations include:
(1) Creating the three-algorithm (α-β-γ) Visionome visual genome framework, enabling early screening and diagnosis of cataracts as well as related ocular/systemic diseases.
(2) Establishing an intelligent ophthalmic diagnosis and treatment system based on this algorithmic foundation, achieving the state that doesn't rely on specialist physicians, specialized equipment, or patient cooperation.
(3) Developing an intelligent decision-making and navigation system for cataract surgery, enhancing surgical capacity and patient outcomes.
Research findings were published in journals such as Nature Medicine (2 papers), Nature Biomedical Engineering (3 papers), and The Lancet Digital Health (2 papers), totaling over 200 SCI papers. The team authored 5 monographs, led the development of more than 10 application standards/norms, contributed to 2 globally authoritative guidelines, achieving significant international impact. It obtained 46 patents, 11 software copyrights, completed 5 technology transfers, and incubated a listed company. The achievements have been promoted to 108 urban and rural areas across 29 provincial-level regions in China and applied in various scenarios within Belt and Road countries. Over 50 million screenings have been conducted, increasing cataract screening coverage by 4 times, surgical coverage by 3 times, and reducing blindness rates by 17%, contributing a replicable and scalable Chinese model to global blindness prevention efforts.
02. Project Title: Establishment and Application of a Precision Diagnosis and Treatment System for Immune-Related High-Blinding Eye Diseases
Principal Contributors (Affiliations):
CHI Wei (Shenzhen Eye Hospital; Former Deputy Director of ZOC), XIAO Chuanle (ZOC), XIE Zhi (ZOC), WANG Ningli (Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University; Distinguished ZOC Alumnus), ZHUO Yehong (ZOC), WEN Feng (ZOC), ZHONG Jiayong (Shenzhen Eye Hospital), SHAO Yi (The First Affiliated Hospital of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine), DAI Ye (ZOC), HU Yixin (Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University), NIU Longjian (Shenzhen Eye Hospital), Chen Ying (Shenzhen Eye Hospital), JIANG Liqiong (Shenzhen Eye Hospital), SU Lishi (ZOC), YE Xiaoyuan (The University of Hong Kong)
Project Overview:
Blinding eye diseases, tumors, and cardiovascular diseases are three major conditions severely impacting human quality of life. Immune-related high-blinding eye diseases, including uveitis, age-related macular degeneration, and dry eye disease, are among the leading causes of irreversible blindness. Addressing critical clinical challenges such as low early diagnosis rates, unclear pathogenesis, and undefined therapeutic targets, this project conducted over a decade of research, yielding a series of innovative results:
(1) Established early objective imaging and molecular diagnostic methods, formulated new grading standards, significantly increasing early diagnosis rates to 91%, filling a gap in the field. Developed China's first multimodal, multi-task AI large model for eye diseases and 7 intelligent diagnostic systems, promoting early screening and diagnosis.
(2) Identified core mechanisms driving disease onset and recurrence, subsequently establishing key therapeutic targets.
(3) Developed novel targeted therapeutic drugs and created precision treatment strategies guided by molecular biomarkers, substantially reducing recurrence rates.
The team published 209 papers in top international journals including Nat Genet, Nat Methods, PNAS, Nat Metab, Lancet Glob Health, Nat Commun, Mol Cell, and NEJM AI. It obtained 31 national invention patents, secured 6 medical device certifications with technology transfer sales exceeding 200 million RMB, formulated 3 international guidelines, 13 Chinese guidelines, and 29 expert consensuses, and authored 37 monographs. The project cultivated 2 national high-level talents, building an internationally leading technological innovation team in this field, effectively improving the diagnosis and treatment level of immune-related eye diseases in China.
2024 Second Prize for Science and Technology Progress
01. Project Title: Innovation and Promotion of Diagnosis and Treatment for Thyroid-Associated Ophthalmopathy
Principal Contributors (Affiliations):
YANG Huasheng (ZOC), YE Huijing (ZOC), XIAO Wei (ZOC), CHEN Rongxin (ZOC), ZHANG Te (ZOC), WANG Xing (ZOC), XU Zhihui (ZOC), BAO Xiaoli (ZOC), YANG Shenglan (ZOC), WU Zhongyao (ZOC)
Project Overview:
Thyroid-Associated Ophthalmopathy (TAO) is one of the most common orbital diseases in adults, severely affecting patients' appearance, visual function, and quality of life. It poses a major public health threat to nearly 4 million patients in China. Long-standing core clinical challenges include unclear pathogenesis, lack of effective early diagnostic methods, and personalized treatment strategies. Supported by five National Natural Science Foundation of China grants and multiple provincial/ministerial projects, the team has conducted over 20 years of research focusing on TAO pathogenesis, precise diagnosis, and individualized treatment, achieving a series of internationally leading innovations.
(1) In terms of pathogenesis, the project for the first time revealed multiple core pathological processes in TAO, including inflammation, fibrosis, and immune imbalance.
(2) In terms of disease diagnosis, it summarized the clinical characteristics of Chinese TAO patients for the first time, proposing patterns of individual variation in natural course and treatment prognosis.
(3) In terms of treatment strategies, the project developed several innovative treatment modalities. It pioneered periorbital local injection techniques for mild-to-moderate TAO; proposed ultra-excessive recession of affected muscles combined with orbital wall fixation as the preferred strategy for strabismus in severe TAO; and established for the first time a comprehensive treatment model of "orbital decompression + methylprednisolone pulse therapy" for patients with severe optic neuropathy.
The team has published 56 papers, including 24 SCI papers with a total impact factor of 97 and 521 citations. Its research results have been followed up by multiple international teams, and representative papers have been published in authoritative journals such as Thyroid, JCEM, and IOVS. The research results have been promoted and applied in 47 major Grade A tertiary hospitals across 26 provinces in China, benefiting over 50,000 patients annually, achieving significant social and economic benefits. The project leader has been ranked among the global top 1% of TAO experts (and No. 1 in China) by PubMed-Expertscape for three consecutive years. Team building has been highly effective, training over 50 postgraduates and continuously driving the innovative development of the TAO prevention and treatment system in China.
For sixty years, carrying forward the aspirations of predecessors, the staff of Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center have yielded a series of scientific and technological innovations with significant scientific value. The center has previously won 11 National Science and Technology Awards and 118 Provincial/Ministerial Science and Technology Awards.
Kudos to the scientific and technological workers of Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center who have made unremitting efforts and strived for excellence!
