Dao-Pei Lu, MD
Dao-Pei Lu, MD, died on April 2, 2025, at the age of 93. He was a well-known figure in hematology and Chinese medicine.
Dr. Lu was an extremely influential physician, performing the first bone marrow transplant in Asia in 1964. Much of his work focused on stem cell transplant advances including the first allogeneic bone marrow transplant in China (1981), the first haploidentical stem cell transplant (1991), the first unrelated donor transplant (1992), the first ABO-incompatible transplant, and the first double-unit umbilical cord blood transplant in an overweight adult (2000).He also led the development of the GIAC protocol for haploidentical stem cell transplant.
Other notable achievements in Dr. Lu’s career include pioneering the use of oral arsenic sulfide in acute promyelocytic leukemia, using garlic extract to treat cytomegalovirus infection, and using placental gamma globulin as a treatment for graft-versus-host disease.
Over the course of his work, Dr. Lu served as vice president of the Chinese Medical Association; director of the Peking University Institute of Hematology, which he also established; academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; and chair of the Hematology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association. He also established the Beijing Lu Daopei Hospital, the China Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Cooperative Group, and the Lu Daopei Medical Group.
He won countless awards and accolades including the State Science and Technology Progress Award (1985), the Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation Science and Technology Progress Award (1997), the Chen Jiageng Science Award (1997), the Chinese Medical Association Technology Progress Award (2006), the Beijing Science and Technology Progress Award (2006), the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research Distinguished Service Award (2016), and the Lifetime Achievement Award both from the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association (2016) and the Chinese Hematology Association (2020).
When he wasn’t working on research and medical advancements, Dr. Lu spent his free time mentoring, singing, playing violin, practicing calligraphy, and embracing his passion for great food.
