University Review

The University received a generous donation of HK$10 million from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust to support the establishment of the “JC STEM Lab of ChemProbes”. Led by Professor David Parker (Department of Chemistry), the Laboratory aims to foster transdisciplinary research into the development of new molecular probes as diagnostic imaging tools and translate them so they can be utilised in biomedical or clinical applications. It offers training to researchers of the Laboratory and its collaborative partners on the design, synthesis and validation of diagnostic probes, helping to address the talent shortage in this field in Hong Kong and southern China.

A transdisciplinary research team comprising Professor Li Min (School of Chinese Medicine), Professor Ricky Wong (Department of Chemistry) and Dr Iyaswamy Ashok (School of Chinese Medicine) demonstrated that a multi-functional organic compound named F-SLOH has promising potential for treating Alzheimer’s disease (AD) at an early stage. The research provides the first in vivo evidence that F-SLOH is an effective agent in reducing the abnormal aggregation of amyloid-beta, the hyperphosphorylation of tau proteins and neuroinflammation in the brain, thereby improving the learning and memory functions of mice with AD. The findings can drive advancements in AD diagnosis and treatment in humans.

To enable modern moviegoers to better appreciate silent films, an HKBU research team developed novel ways that can rejuvenate classical silent films. Led by Dr Wan Renjie (Department of Computer Science), the transdisciplinary research team harnesses the latest artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to enhance the viewing experience while preserving the films’ aesthetic values. Key aspects of the project include adding plausible colour information to the monochrome images, generating audible dialogue, as well as deploying generative models to restore frames which were lost due to film deterioration, and generate new content based on the descriptions in the intertitles.

In a multidisciplinary research collaboration, Dr Wan and his team worked with Professor Johnny ML Poon, Associate Vice-President (Interdisciplinary Research) and Founding Dean of the School of Creative Arts, who is also the Music Director and Conductor of the HKBU Symphony Orchestra and the Collegium Musicum Hong Kong. They presented an innovative performance at the Hong Kong Baptist University Symphony Orchestra Annual Gala Concert 2023, where the orchestra performed the piece Danse Macabre synchronously with a screening of a silent horror movie of the same name. The HKBU team employed AI technologies to restore and colourise the silent film produced over a century ago.

Research led by Professor Zhang Jianhua (Department of Biology) involving the use of a pioneering female sterility technique can enhance the efficiency of hybrid rice production. Compared to the commonly used “three-line” male sterility technique in hybrid rice seeds production, the novel approach eliminates rice seeds that have been produced due to the self-pollination of the “restorer line”. The technique enables fully automatic harvesting of hybrid seeds by machines, which can significantly reduce harvesting costs.

Professor Jia Wei (School of Chinese Medicine) and his research team identified cryptotanshinone, a compound extracted from the Chinese herbal medicine Salvia miltiorrhiza, with the potential for the treatment and prevention of gastric cancer associated with bile reflux. The research unveiled the mechanism of how bile reflux induces gastritis and gastric cancer, and that refluxed bile acids lead to the proliferation of pro-inflammation bacteria that promote gastric carcinogenesis, the formation of cancer.

A collaborative research team co-led by Dr Wang Yi (Department of Chemistry) synthesised a nanoparticle named TRZD that can perform the dual function of diagnosing and treating glioma in the brain. TRZD emits persistent luminescence for the diagnostic imaging of glioma tissues in vivo and inhibits the growth of tumour cells by aiding the targeted delivery of chemotherapy drugs. The findings offer hope for the early diagnosis and treatment of glioma, especially cerebellar glioma, which is even harder to detect and cure with existing methods.

A research team led by Professor Han Quanbin and Professor Lyu Aiping (School of Chinese Medicine) found a new absorption route for orally dosed Chinese medicine polysaccharides. The research findings indicated that Astragalus polysaccharide RAP, being undegraded and non-absorbing, quickly entered Peyer’s patches, where it can directly target follicle dendritic cells and initiate anti-tumour immune responses.

A research led by Professor Gao Meng (Department of Geography) developed a statistical model which uses patterns of springtime warming in the western Pacific Ocean, western Indian Ocean and Ross Sea to predict the frequency of summertime co-occurrence of heat wave and air pollution in China. The model provides useful information for the Government authorities and the general public to take actions in advance to mitigate damage from the joint hazards.

A research study co-led by Professor Bian Zhaoxiang, Dr Xavier Wong and Dr Zhai Lixiang (School of Chinese Medicine) showed for the first time that the human gut bacterium Ruminococcus gnavus is a major trigger factor of diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D). Based on this discovery, a new therapeutic target for the disease’s treatment was identified. The study also found that low-protein food items such as fresh fruits, vegetables and bread may help reduce the gut motility in IBS-D.

Co-led by Dr Allen Cheung Ka-loon (Department of Biology), a collaborative research team showed that routine urine tests for human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) can identify the risk of end-organ diseases earlier in patients who have been infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). The findings suggest that HCMV detection in urine should be implemented as a routine test for HIV-1 patients, who are progressing towards AIDS, to monitor the development of end-organ diseases effectively and enable early medical intervention.

A research team led by Professor Lyu Aiping, Professor Zhang Ge and Dr Yu Yuanyuan (School of Chinese Medicine) identified a molecular target for bone anabolic therapies using a selected aptamer that serves as an inhibitor of sclerostin, a protein that prevents bone growth. The discovery offers hope for the development of an effective next-generation treatment for osteoporosis and osteogenesis imperfecta that is free of cardiovascular risk compared to the marketed antibody drug. The new drug is at the pre-clinical trial development stage, and the research team plans to start clinical trials in the Mainland and the US in 2024.

With light absorbing properties, perovskite solar cells (PSC) are a high-performing candidate for manufacturing solar panels, but the commercialisation of the technology faces the issue of the stability of perovskites. Dr Liu Tanghao (Department of Physics) and his collaborators investigated the correlation between grain-boundary groove, a film structure, and optomechanical reliability of the PSC. The researchers found that by flattening the grain-boundary grooves, the charge transport and chemical stability of PSCs are improved. The findings offer important insights on the future research directions for advancing PSC development and commercialisation.

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is a technique that builds objects layer by layer using raw materials. However, challenges like the need for support structures, which are necessary to prevent deformation during printing, hinder its integration into existing manufacturing pipelines. Dr Lam Kei-fong (Department of Mathematics) and his team developed a novel computational approach that enhances the printed parts’ capability to support themselves, thus reducing the reliance on support structures. With the advances in 3D and 4D printing technologies, Dr Lam further developed new structures that can bend and twist into various configurations. 

In the post-vaccine era, the development of a more effective treatment for COVID-19 remains a huge challenge. HKBU continued to make important contributions to treat and protect against the virus through innovative research. A study led by Dr Xavier Wong (School of Chinese Medicine) identified a protease called MT1-MMP that is a major host factor which mediates the cell entry of SARS-CoV-2, and also a potential therapeutic target for COVID-19 drugs. By applying a humanised antibody called 3A2 that can inhibit the activity of MT1-MMP, the viral load of infected mice was reduced by almost 90%. The research team also demonstrated that 3A2 has good potential to become an effective drug for curing COVID-19.

Led by Professor Cai Zongwei and Dr Yang Zhu (Department of Chemistry), an HKBU study revealed the association between rapidly fading antibody levels in recovered COVID-19 patients and a high plasma concentration of a metabolite called glycylproline (gly-pro) and its producing enzyme. The researchers also found that the application of an inhibiting agent can counteract the activities of gly-pro and its producing enzyme, and this helped maintain COVID-19 antibody levels in a mouse model. The findings offer important insights that could aid the development of novel therapeutic and vaccination strategies against the virus.

Mastering timely and accurate information on the geographic distribution of COVID-19 infection cases is important for health authorities to implement effective infection control measures and allocation of medical resources. To this end, a research team led by Professor Xu Jianliang (Department of Computer Science) developed the Hong Kong COVID-19 Hotspot Map, which allows the intuitive visualisation of real-time and dynamic geographic distribution of COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong. The Map is supported by novel computation methods of big spatial-temporal data developed by the team with substantially enhanced resolution and speed in visualisation results output.

Led by Professor Qiu Jianwen (Department of Biology), an HKBU team discovered in Hong Kong waters three new species of hard coral which have never been identified anywhere else in the world. The three new sun coral species discovered were named by the HKBU team as Tubastraea dendroida, Tubastraea chloromura and Tubastraea violacea, and they all belong to the genus Tubastraea. The discovery provides strong evidence of the high marine biodiversity in Hong Kong waters, and it helps fill the knowledge gaps in biodiversity.

Professor Zhou Changsong (Department of Physics) and his research team examined the complex neural dynamics patterns associated with the changes in the brain’s internal state. Using optical voltage imaging, computational analysis and modeling, the researchers revealed how complex wave patterns emerge across different levels of wakefulness in the mouse cortex. The findings suggest that these neural signatures have implications for understanding conscious processes in the brain.

Dr Law Yuen-han (Department of History) examined the data from various sources including government gazettes and colonial medical reports, and penned the book History of Western Medical Services in Hong Kong, which chronicles the history of the city’s medical practices. In another project about the history of nursing education at Kwong Wah Hospital, Dr Law guided history students at HKBU and secondary school students to conduct oral history interviews with retired nursing staff who joined the profession from the post-war period to the 1970s. The findings of the project are published in the book Nursing Education at the Kwong Wah Hospital and the Everyday Life History in Hong Kong: An Oral History.

HKBU and the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on “Fostering University Cooperation in Technology Transfer” to jointly create a new era of smart living and cross-disciplinary technological development. The extended cooperation covers the areas of smart traditional Chinese medicine service system, pharmaceutical research and development, art tech, fintech, as well as interdisciplinary research and its application, so as to promote technology innovation and transfer. HKBU and its affiliated institutions will jointly develop with ASTRI a number of cooperation models for research and development, including cutting-edge technologies such as AI and big data analysis, as well as intellectual property management and commercialisation.

HKBU signed a Memorandum of Understanding with CR Jiangzhong and the China Resources Research Institute of Science and Technology to research into the use of shenlingcao for treating post-COVID-19 syndrome. Through leveraging the competitive advantages of the signing parties, more opportunities for collaboration in Chinese medicine technological advancement and business incubation are expected to emerge. 

The Centre for Chinese Herbal Medicine Drug Development (CDD) established by HKBU signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Beijing Tong Ren Tang to conduct collaborative research based on Chinese medicine (CM) formulas. The CDD and Beijing Tong Ren Tang aim to cultivate a collaborative drug research platform for advancing traditional CM formulas with technologies and translating research outputs into new drugs. They also join hands to provide a talent grooming programme that will support the research platform and nurture Hong Kong research talent in Chinese medicine.

The University participated in the 2023 Asia Summit on Global Health (ASGH), showcasing innovative life science solutions from 10 HKBU-affiliated startups and research teams. Attendees included healthcare professionals and industry stakeholders. At the event, HKBU scholars shared their expertise and research on Chinese medicine and mental health. An HKBU startup, Booguu Company Limited, was selected as the Best Performing Startup in the ASGH Project Pitching Session on “AI & Digital Health”. This recognition demonstrated the company’s potential to translate, commercialise and advance healthcare technology.

The HKBU Art x Innovation Business Plan Competition presented a valuable opportunity for academic and student-led startups to translate their innovative solutions into real-world applications through entrepreneurship. Seven winning teams from the competition received cash prizes and other awards. Notably, several high-potential startups were accepted into the HKBU x HKSTP Co-Ideation Programme, granting them access to seed funding to transform their concepts into reality.