The Fourth China Hematology Development Conference was held in Tianjin from January 5th to 7th, 2024. Themed “Broadening Hematology, Healthcare, and Wellness,” the conference focused on the core development directions of the hematology discipline and engaged in discussions and sharing of hot topics and cutting-edge issues in basic hematology research, translation, and clinical diagnosis and treatment in the new era. During the conference, Professor Tao Cheng, the chairman of the conference and the director of the Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, shared the highlights of the event in an interview.
Oncology Frontier – Hematology Frontier: The China Hematology Development Conference has become an annual national event in hematology over the past three years. As the host and chairman of the fourth conference, could you introduce the highlights of this event?
Professor Tao Cheng: The China Hematology Development Conference featured a rich variety of content and formats, including opening speeches, keynote reports, roundtable discussions, and more. It announced important information in the field of hematology and unveiled the top ten research advances in Chinese hematology for 2023, along with several themed forums and online forums. The conference achieved great success through high-level promotion and multi-party cooperation.
I believe the biggest highlight was the keynote speech by Academician Chen Zhu. During his presentation, Academician Chen Zhu conducted a deep analysis of the history of drug development in hematology and innovation in the field of oncology drugs, highlighting the difficult process of establishing new advancements in the pharmaceutical sector. He particularly emphasized the crucial role of the scientific spirit throughout the innovation process. Furthermore, Academician Chen Zhu highlighted the five major development trends in the biopharmaceutical field and offered guidance on the future development of hematology, focusing on advancing diagnosis and treatment capabilities and improving the treatment of critically ill patients. Lastly, he stressed that China’s scientific and technological innovation should concentrate on in-depth research, endure hardship, and break away from some extreme practices in scientific evaluation, focusing on the work of scientific and technological innovation.
Oncology Frontier – Hematology Frontier: The results of the top ten research advancements in Chinese hematology for 2023 were announced during the conference. Could you discuss the selection criteria for the annual top ten research advancements in hematology?
Professor Tao Cheng: This conference paid special attention to significant advancements in clinical, basic, and interdisciplinary studies, selecting groundbreaking research achievements based on the year’s major research developments. As the years have passed, the selection process for China’s annual top ten advancements in hematology has become more standardized, and its public recognition has gradually increased, with numerous academic groups related to clinical and basic translational research and hundreds of experts participating. In the future, I hope the selection process will uncover more innovative results in the Chinese hematology field, from “0 to 1” or “1 to N” innovations.
Oncology Frontier – Hematology Frontier: Building a national medical science and technology innovation system is a booster for enhancing medical science and technology innovation capabilities. How do you think we should promote the construction of the medical science and technology innovation system to support the high-quality development of the hematology discipline and contribute innovative strength to Chinese-style modernization?
Professor Tao Cheng: Under the guidance of President Xi Jinping’s principle of “People First, Life Supreme,” the framework for China’s medical science and technology innovation system has been innovated. In 2023, the Ministry of Science and Technology led the establishment and construction of national key laboratories in the pharmaceutical field, including the National Key Laboratory of Blood and Health. Against this backdrop, how to fully utilize the various institutions, platforms, and other elements within the science and technology innovation system to achieve misaligned development and collaborative innovation is an important direction for our future development. As China’s largest national research-oriented medical institution specializing in blood diseases, integrating medical treatment, research, education, and industry, the Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, should take the lead in promoting high-quality development in the field of hematology in China, contributing our strength to Chinese-style modernization. This is also a work focus and future direction for our institution in 2024.
Oncology Frontier – Hematology Frontier: The Tuanbo campus of the Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, officially began operations on September 26, 2023, aiming to create a world-class innovation hub for blood health. Could you introduce the diagnostic and treatment scale, disciplinary layout, and innovative diagnostic and treatment models of the Tuanbo campus?
Professor Tao Cheng: The Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, is at the forefront domestically and even internationally in new biological treatments, including immunotherapy, stem cell therapy, and gene therapy. The completion and operation of the Tuanbo campus mark the establishment of the largest blood disease center in the world in Tianjin. Based on this, we will gradually develop related disciplines such as cardiovascular diseases and autoimmune diseases, using regenerative medicine as a link. Additionally, we will strengthen supportive disciplines such as critical care medicine and others like transfusion, laboratory tests, and emergency services, to ensure collaborative cooperation.
Currently, the development of other disciplines at the Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, is being progressively implemented and advanced. I believe that with the leadership of the Tianjin Municipal Committee and Municipal Government, the support and assistance of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Party Committee, academic leadership, and sister institutions, the Tuanbo campus of the Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, will operate smoothly!
Oncology Frontier – Hematology Frontier: This conference specially set up an online forum for medical education. What signals do you think this will send for the training of medical talent in our country?
Professor Tao Cheng: The China Hematology Development Conference focused not only on the development directions of the hematology academic field but also discussed the future path of the hematology discipline. Among these, the construction of a talent team is of utmost importance. Building a talent team is a crucial pathway to creating a balanced and high-level medical talent pool after graduation, fundamentally solving the problem of medical imbalance in our country.
At this conference, Academician Wang Chen proposed important development concepts for the training of specialist physicians in postgraduate medical education. Specifically for the hematology field, we aim to actively explore standardized training for specialist physicians and strive to build a training base for specialist physicians in hematologic diseases in China. In the coming years, we also plan to expand the scale of graduate student training, improve the quality of training, and comprehensively promote the construction of medical education.
Oncology Frontier – Hematology Frontier: Middle-aged and young professionals are the backbone of the future development of the discipline. As a senior figure in the field of hematology, what hopes and expectations do you have for young and middle-aged doctors?
Professor Tao Cheng: The development of a discipline cannot be separated from talent construction, and the cultivation and bold use of a young and middle-aged team is an important task facing the field of hematology. Taking the Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences as an example, the expansion of the Tuanbo campus urgently requires a large number of medical and scientific research talents, and these talents are mainly young and middle-aged doctors. For young and middle-aged doctors, Academician Wang Chen once again advocated the “chief physician responsibility system” during the conference. The Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences will also actively explore the training and use mechanism of chief physicians and through the employment and introduction of young and middle-aged talents, including non-clinical medical talents, we hope to complement the advantages of research-oriented talents with frontline clinical doctors, jointly tackling diseases, treatments, or other clinically related issues. Finally, I sincerely welcome more young and middle-aged doctors and scholars from hematology and related fields to join us, to collectively realize our scientific dreams!
Professor Tao Cheng
Member of the Division of Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
Distinguished Professor at Peking Union Medical College
Currently serves as the Director of the Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (Institute of Hematology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences), Director of the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (Basic College of Peking Union Medical College), Director of the National Key Laboratory of Hematology and Health, and Executive Director of the Tianjin Medical Health Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.
Formerly a tenured professor at the University of Pittsburgh
Vice President of the Chinese Physiological Society, formerly the sole Executive Director for China of the International Society for Experimental Hematology and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of its journal, editorial board member of journals such as Blood, Leukemia, Stem Cells, and founding Editor-in-Chief of Blood Science.
Long dedicated to research in hematology and regenerative medicine, has received national distinguished expert awards, Outstanding Youth, Yangtze River Scholar, innovative research groups from the National Natural Science Foundation, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Science and Technology, leading national projects such as the 973 Program, key research and development projects, and major projects of the National Natural Science Foundation.
