STORY: Chinese scientist awarded for groundbreaking work in transplantation, cellular therapy
SHOOTING TIME: Feb. 23, 2024
DATELINE: Feb. 25, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:42
LOCATION: SAN ANTONIO, U.S.
CATEGORY: SCIENCE

SHOTLIST:
1. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): MICHAEL VERNERIS, Chair of the Advisory Committee of the CIBMTR
2. wide of Michael Verneris awarding Huang Xiaojun
2. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): HUANG XIAOJUN, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Director of the Institute of Hematology at Peking University

STORYLINE:

Chinese scientist Huang Xiaojun won a top international award in San Antonio, the U.S. state of Texas, on Friday for his groundbreaking work known as Beijing Protocol in transplantation and cellular therapy.
   
The esteemed professor, an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Director of the Institute of Hematology at Peking University, received the prestigious annual Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) Distinguished Service Award during the 2024 Tandem Meetings.

This event serves as a platform for leading global experts to collaboratively share crucial insights dedicated to enhancing and preserving the lives of individuals grappling with blood-related disorders.

Huang established a series of key techniques of non-T cell depleted haploidentical transplantation, which gradually developed into the novel G-CSF/ATG based Beijing Protocol, increasing the three-year survival rate from approximately 20 percent to about 70 percent in haploidentical transplantation treating leukemia, Michael Verneris, chair of the Advisory Committee of the CIBMTR, told the fully-packed meeting.
   
SOUNDBITE 1 (English): MICHAEL VERNERIS, Chair of the Advisory Committee of the CIBMTR
"As CIBMTR Advisory Committee Chair, I'm honored to present the 2024 CIBMTR Distinguished Award. This year's award recognizes individuals who have outstanding contributions to CIBMTR'S research mission to advance hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy research worldwide. This year's recipient is Dr. Xiaojun Huang."

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): HUANG XIAOJUN, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Director of the Institute of Hematology at Peking University
"I am deeply honored. I want to say this award is not only a great honor for me, but also for my team in Beijing, and even an incentive for the rapid development of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in China. Let's continue to join our effort to improve the transplantation for the health of patients and for the health of people. Thank you."
   
Verneris reported that the Beijing Protocol techniques have been adopted in over 190 centers in China, resulting in a significant increase in haploidentical transplantation from almost zero to 65 percent by 2022. The protocol has also been extended to countries such as South Korea, Italy and France.
   
The CIBMTR, initially set up in 1972, collaborates with the global scientific community to advance hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) and cellular therapy worldwide to increase survival and enrich the quality of life for patients, according to its website.
   
The 2024 Tandem Meetings on Feb. 21-24, co-organized by the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy and the CIBMTR, have attracted several thousand doctors, researchers and healthcare professionals from all over the world.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from San Antonio, U.S.
(XHTV)