The winners of the 23rd Pfizer Medical Award, organized by the National Academy of Medicine of Korea and sponsored by Pfizer Korea Pharmaceuticals, were announced on the 24th. The basic medicine award goes to Yeon Dong-geon, a professor in the Department of Digital Health at the School of Medicine at Kyunghee University; the clinical medicine award to Park Kyung-woo, a professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the School of Medicine at Seoul National University; and the translational medicine award to Lee Ju-ho, a professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Seoul National University Hospital.
The Pfizer Medical Award is a pure medical prize established in 1999 to support the development of medicine in Korea, and each year it recognizes outstanding researchers by evaluating papers published within the past two years in three fields—basic, clinical, and translational medicine. A total of 58 medical scientists have received the award so far.
Professor Yeon analyzed Global Burden of Disease (GBD) data to identify the worldwide disease burden caused by dietary iron deficiency and emphasized the need for international intervention. The study was published in the international journal Nature Medicine.
Professor Park used National Health Insurance big data to analyze long-term clinical outcomes among patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention who are at high bleeding risk (HBR), confirming that they have higher risks not only of major bleeding events but also of ischemic events and death. The paper reporting these findings was published in the European Society of Cardiology's official journal, the European Heart Journal.
Professor Lee analyzed patient tissues and animal models to reveal a new mechanism of recurrent glioblastoma (GBM). The study confirmed that subventricular zone (SVZ) neural stem cells can harbor oncogenic mutations and contribute to recurrence, and was published in the international journal Molecular Cancer.
The award ceremony will be held on Nov. 5, and each winner will receive 50 million won in prize money and a plaque. Han Sang-won, president of the National Academy of Medicine of Korea, said, "The studies by the three winners are achievements that present solutions and therapeutic possibilities applicable in clinical practice," adding, "This research has become "a turning point" that propelled advances in medicine." Oh Dong-wook, president of Pfizer Korea Pharmaceuticals, said, "We hope the Pfizer Medical Award will spotlight challenging research achievements and contribute to improving the patient care environment."