At 18:30 local time on April 23rd, an award ceremony was held by UNESCO at the conference center of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. Chinese scientist Qiao Jie and two others were awarded the 8th UNESCO Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences, in recognition of her groundbreaking contributions in the field of life sciences, particularly her pioneering construction of the world's first high-precision whole genome sequencing map of human female eggs.

　　Group photo of three 2024 winners including Qiao Jie, with Qu Xing (second from left), Deputy Director General of UNESCO, and Clemente Engonga Nguema Onguene (second from right), First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea

　　In its official website bulletins, UNESCO states that, as a reproductive medicine expert, Qiao Jie has pioneered the understanding of reproductive physiology and the underlying mechanisms of infertility. She has been leading her team to reveal at multiple levels a series of black boxes in the regulation of human gametes and early embryonic development, continuously exploring the causes of infertility and clinical diagnosis and treatment for many years, and thus giving rise to the great discovery of the key role of gut microbiota in female reproductive disorders in particular. In addition, Qiao Jie has made a series of theoretical and technological breakthroughs in the protection and preservation of female fertility, as well as the development of new methods for preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), pushing the application of precision medicine in the field of reproductive health. In addition, she has also been committed to sharing and exchanging experience with countries around the world, especially developing countries, establishing shared databases and promoting cutting-edge technologies, and has made outstanding contributions to human health and reproductive well-being.

　　After the award ceremony, a roundtable meeting of the 10th Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development was held, with the theme of "Initiating Scientific Progress in the Field of Life Medicine: The Transforming Impact of the UNESCO Equatorial Guinea Award on Research in Life Medicine in Africa". Qiao Jie and two other 2024 winners, as well as two previous winners, had discussions about the key areas of future life science research and innovation, cross disciplinary cooperation in life science research, policy support, funding mechanisms, and ethical considerations. The meeting was chaired by Professor Wagida Anwar, Chairman of the Review Committee of Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences. At the roundtable meeting, Qiao Jie shared and emphasized such issues as the significance of technological development and the standardized use of technology in the field of life medicine.

　　Written by: Wu Zhaoxia

　　Edited by: LiuXin

　　Source: Peking University Health Science Center