Fudan Team Wins National Science and Technology Progress Award

The national science and technology awards were announced on July 8, 2026. Guided and joined by Academician Ge Junbo, the project titled Creation and Application of a Key Technology System for the Pathogenesis, Diagnosis and Treatment of Heart Failure, led by researcher Sun Aijun of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, won the second prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award. Taking mitochondrial energy metabolism as the entry point, the team was the first to reveal that mutation of the mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) gene is a hidden high-risk factor in the onset and progression of heart failure, and developed a genetic testing kit.

They identified the cardiac sodium channel gene SCN5A as a new pathogenic gene for hereditary heart failure and established the first specialist clinic for high-risk hereditary heart disease in China. They also created an innovative treatment system centered on improving myocardial energy supply and proposed individualized rehabilitation exercise programs and new metabolic regulation approaches. The related findings have been written into multiple Chinese, European and American guidelines and consensus documents, and have obtained multiple Chinese and international patents, some of which have been translated into clinical use.