Aim

 To help promote the development of China’s premiere international journal and to expand the influence of the SIBS-Sanofi strategic partnership, Sanofi sponsors Outstanding Paper Awards at Cell Research. Each year, 2 winners are selected for the Sanofi-Cell Research Outstanding Original Paper award, at 5,000 Euros each, and 1 winner for the Sanofi-Cell Research Outstanding Review award at 3000 Euros.

Background

Cell Research is a prestigious international journal co-sponsored by the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBCB), Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences (SIBS), Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Chinese Society for Cell Biology (CSCB). It is jointly published with the Nature Publishing Groups since 2006. Its 2020 impact factor is 25.617, and ranks first among original research journals in Asia. Cell Research features a prominent international Editorial Board, and currently, more than 50% of the published papers are authored by scientists from outside China. Dr Gang Pei, a renowned cell biologist and President of CSCB, is the Editor-in-Chief (EIC); and Dr Dangsheng Li, a former Associate Editor of Cell, serves as the Deputy EIC. 

Sanofi is a global leading pharmaceutical company, headquartered in Paris. The company’s R&D portfolio is among the pharmaceutical industry’s most promising, aiming at addressing today’s unmet medical needs. To promote innovation and accelerate the translation of research results into medical solutions in China, Sanofi and SIBS have established a strategic partnership since October of 2008, in which full fledge collaborations in the forms of sponsored research, Scholarship programs, personnel exchange programs and joint scientific activities are included.

Selection Process

1. The awards will be issued on a yearly basis. Award winners are selected from papers published in Cell Research in the previous year. 

2. Nomination for the awards will be solicited from Cell Research Editorial Board members and Principal Investigators (PIs) of IBCB and SIBS. The nomination finalists include 5 candidates for the outstanding original paper award, and 3 candidates for the outstanding review award. 

3. The Selection Committee will then select final award winners from these candidates. The Selection Committee is composed basically by the SIBS and Sanofi Steering committee, and the EIC (or the Deputy EIC on behalf of the EIC). Sanofi holds the possibility for adding 1 nomination for either Paper Award or Review Award. Sanofi office will monitor the voting process and produce a voting record. The final recipients list should be finalized no later than the end of July. 

4. The EIC (or the Deputy EIC on behalf of the EIC) will write to the corresponding authors to inform them of their winning of the Sanofi-Cell Research Outstanding Paper award, and invite them to attend the Award Ceremony later in the year. A formal invitation letter will be issued by the IBCB to those coming to the ceremony.

Announcement

Ribosome biogenesis is critical in the growth of eukaryotic cells, in which the synthesis of precursor ribosomal RNA is the first and rate-limiting step. Here, we show that human PIH1 domain-containing protein 1 (PIH1) interacts directly with histone H4 and recruits the Brg1-SWI/SNF complex via SNF5 to human rRNA genes. Ribosome biogenesis is critical in the growth of eukaryotic cells, in which the synthesis of precursor ribosomal RNA is the first and rate-limiting step. Here, we show that human PIH1 domain-containing protein 1 (PIH1) interacts directly with histone H4 and recruits the Brg1-SWI/SNF complex via SNF5 to human rRNA genes.Ribosome biogenesis is critical in the growth of eukaryotic cells, in which the synthesis of precursor ribosomal RNA is the first and rate-limiting step. Here, we show that human PIH1 domain-containing protein 1 (PIH1) interacts directly with histone H4 and recruits the Brg1-SWI/SNF complex via SNF5 to human rRNA genes.Ribosome biogenesis is critical in the growth of eukaryotic cells, in which the synthesis of precursor ribosomal RNA is the first and rate-limiting step. Here, we show that human PIH1 domain-containing protein 1 (PIH1) interacts directly with histone H4 and recruits the Brg1-SWI/SNF complex via SNF5 to human rRNA genes.

Ceremony

A ceremony will be co-organized by Cell Research and IBCB to honor the award recipients and to expand the scientific influence of the award, during which the prize and award certificate will be presented to the winners. For those who can not make it to the ceremony, the certificate and prize check will be sent to them by express delivery. In conjunction with the ceremony, Cell Research will organize a one-day mini-symposium, in which both local and international prominent scientists will be invited to give lectures. The event will be sponsored by Sanofi, to cover the travel and local accommodation of winners, and other expenses pertaining to the event.

Prize Winners and photos