CD34⁺ progenitor cells in cardiovascular disease

Prof. Zhigang She, Distinguished Professor (Grade II), Wuhan University. Deputy Director, Department of Cardiology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University. Professor and Vice President, Gannan Institute of Innovation and Translation Medicine. Principal Investigator, State Key Laboratory of New Target Discovery and Drug Development. Published over 130 research articles in high-impact journals including Nature Medicine, Circulation, and Cell Metabolism, with more than 18,000 cumulative citations and an H-index of 58. Recipient of the American Heart Association (AHA) Research Award, Fishman Career Development Award, and STRIVE Innovative Human Disease Research Award; awarded the Second Prize of Science and Technology Progress of Hubei Province, and selected into the "Ganpo Elite Program."

Prof. Qingbo Xu qualified in Medicine at Peking Union Medical College and then the University of Innsbruck, Austria. He was appointed Professor in Cardiovascular Science at St George's Hospital in 1999 and then to the BHF John Parker Chair of Cardiovascular Sciences at King’s College London in 2006. In 2019 he was appointed a Distinguished Professor and Chair at Zhejiang University. He was elected as a Member of European Academy of Sciences. Professor Xu has a distinguished track record in vascular research, having made seminal observations. He has been at the forefront in elucidating the role of vascular stem cells in atherogenesis and the biology of the vessel wall. He has a prominent international profile in vascular biology as evidenced by numerous invited lectures at national and international scientific meetings, chairing of many research conferences, service on the editorial boards of eminent journals, and membership of national and international committees. Professor Xu has been honoured with the Austrian Cardinal Prize for Medicine in 1993 and the Rokitansky Prize for Pathology in 1995. Professor Xu’s original work has thus contributed to vascular medicine, as indicated by his publication list. More than 70 papers have >100 citations and his H-index is 98.
Topic: CD34⁺ progenitor cells in cardiovascular disease

Prof. Junnan Tang is a Chief Physician, Professor, and PhD Supervisor in the Department of Cardiology at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. She is the deputy director of department and the director of the Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathy Ward at hospital. Her research focuses on the mechanisms, prevention, and treatment of cardiac injury. These achievements provide important theoretical foundations, key technological support, and clinical pathways for overcoming major challenges in the early recognition and effective management of heart failure, ultimately improving long-term patient outcomes. Prof. Tang has served as principal investigator for multiple national and provincial research projects. She has received the First Prize of the Henan Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award, the Second Prize of the Henan Provincial Natural Science Award, and the First Prize for Excellence in Medical Education. She serves in academic roles including Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, member of the Cardiovascular Immunology and Inflammation Group of the Chinese Society of Cardiology, member of the Youth Working Committee of the Chinese Society of Pathophysiology, member of the Youth Working Group of the Cardiovascular Physicians Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, associate editor of the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, and editorial board member of Circulation Research.

Prof. Wenjun Yan received his M.D. and Ph.D. from the Fourth Military Medical University in 2013. He subsequently completed his postdoctoral training at Thomas Jefferson University in the United States. His research focuses on elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying myocardial injury and repair, as well as developing novel interventional strategies. He has published 49 papers in SCI journals, including Circulation, Circulation Research (cover article), and Nature Communications. His work has been recommended by F1000 and featured in the PHILLY VOICE health news report. He received the Paul Dudley White International Scholar Award from the American Heart Association in 2024, and was awarded the First Prize of the Shaanxi Provincial Natural Science Award (ranked 2nd among 6 awardees).