Professor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming, Li Ka Shing Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean (Research) of Medicine, has received the prestigious Jiménez Díaz Lecture Award in recognition of his contribution to the development of non-invasive prenatal tests by discovering free fetal DNA in maternal blood, and his discovery of free DNA as a non-invasive biomarker to detect other diseases like cancer.

He is also the first Chinese scholar to be presented with the reputable international honour.

The award ceremony was held on 21 May at the Conference Hall of the Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez Díaz in Madrid, following a symposium on current and future applications of circulating DNA. At the ceremony, Professor Lo gave the commemorative lecture titled “Non-invasive plasma DNA testing: from dream to reality”.

In his lecture, Professor Lo told the audience: “Breakthroughs may occur when you can see hidden connections between apparently different fields. For example, seeing the connection between cancer and pregnancy had allowed me to make advances in molecular diagnostics.”

The Jiménez Díaz Commemorative Lecture is an annual event held by The Fundación Conchita Rábago to recognise the work of an outstanding international figure in medicine or biomedical research. The lecture is attended by prominent researchers who complement the event with a symposium.

Since the Conchita Rábago Foundation was established in 1969, the Jímenez Díaz Lecture Award has been given to 17 Nobel Laureates. Among them are Katalin Karikó (2023), Luc Montagnier (2008), Mario R. Capecchi (2007), and Arthur Kornberg (1959), who all won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.