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TAIPEI, Nov. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

The 2020 Tang Prize Award Ceremony took place virtually at 2p.m. (GMT+8) on

November 20. Eight 2020 recipients of the prize from seven countries, including

the U.S., the U.K., Japan, Singapore, Bangladesh, Colombia, and Lebanon,

attended this heartwarming event remotely, where they were greeted with

congratulations and applause from audiences all over the world. The Tang Prize

Foundation would like to thank everyone participating online, witnessing

together the celebration of the outstanding achievements and the international

influence of eight laureates considered by many as pioneers in their respective

fields. To relive the inspiring moments of this ceremony and witness again the

charm of the eight 2020 laureates, please visit our YouTube channel:

https://youtu.be/lN0ADXBNT-Q for Chinese subtitles, or

https://youtu.be/56GwDm3EL0g for English subtitles.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Jenn-Chuan Chern, CEO of the Tang Prize Foundation,

explained that the COVID pandemic that engulfed the entire world in 2020 had

disrupted the plans the Foundation previously worked out. Though Dr. Samuel

Yin, founder of the Tang Prize Foundation, had hoped that once the pandemic

receded, the 2020 laureates could travel to Taiwan to receive the awards and

take part in a series of activities, the fact that the virus continues to wreak

havoc worldwide in 2021 has led the Foundation to finally decide to hold a

virtual award ceremony. Dr. Chern also expressed his gratitude for the

president and members of the Selection Committee, citing their professionalism,

meticulousness, unbiased judgement and great vision as reasons the best

candidates could be selected as winners.

Dr. Tadamitsu Kishimoto, an awardee of the prize in Biopharmaceutical Science,

received his prizes remotely in Japan. Speaking from Osaka University's

Immunology Frontier Research Center, he noted the significance of the

recognition from the Tang Prize for his lifelong research on IL-6, which

resulted in the development of the drug, tocilizumab, now being used in more

than 100 countries to ease the pain of millions of patients suffering from

rheumatoid arthritis.

With the enthusiastic participation of audiences around the globe, the first

virtual Tang Prize Award Ceremony has come to a successful end. We hope life

will return to normal in the coming year, so that an in-person award ceremony

can be held in Taiwan, a tradition of the Tang Prize that has been observed

since 2014.

SOURCE The Tang Prize Foundation

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   Caption: Successful 2020 Tang Prize Award Ceremony Highlights Laureates’ Achievements

and Influence