On 10 January 2020, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council conferred the 2019 State Science and Technology Awards in Beijing. This is an annual event representing the highest honour in the field of science and technology in China and the highest praise given to workers in science and technology by the party and the people. Dr. Xiang Hu, founder of the World Health Foundation, and Dr. Lingyun Sun and Dr. Huayong Zhang of the Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Affiliated to the Nanjing University Medical School, jointly completed research on "Key Technological Innovations and Clinical Application of Allogeneic Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Refractory Lupus Erythematosus", which received the Second-Class Award of the State Technological Invention Award.