The winners of the first Zhong Nanshan Youth Science and Technology Innovation Award were announced on Jan 6. Wang Xiangxi, a council member of the Biophysical Society of China (BSC), is among the 10 awardees.

The award, approved by the Chinese Communist Youth League Central Committee and authorized by Zhong Nanshan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, aims to boost innovative research output in medicine and life science and facilitate the application of clinical and medical technologies. It is open to scientific and technical fellows under the age of 40 and is granted to no more than 10 awardees annually.

Wang Xiangxi, research fellow, doctoral supervisor and deputy director of the Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity of the Institute of Biophysics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and council member of the BSC [Photo provided to bsc.org.cn]

Wang has been focusing on studies of viral structure and structural vaccinology for years. Prior to this most recent award, he was included in the Top Young Scholar of National Ten Thousands Talent Program and the CAST Young Elite Scientist Sponsorship Program. His research achievements were listed as one of China’s top 10 scientific advances of 2020.

Wang participated in the research and development of the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine as a team leader and the vaccine has received conditional approval for listing in China and exported to countries across the globe. He also developed COVID-19 neutralizing antibody hypersensitivity diagnostic technology and completed the transfer and clinical application of HSV diagnosis technologies.