Campus Digest

Nobel Laureate Sir Michael Houghton speaks at HKBU symposium on biomedical research and drug development

Friday, 28 February 2025

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Mr Kevin Liem, Treasurer of the Council and the Court (5th right), Professor Alex Wai, President and Vice-Chancellor (5th left), distinguished speakers and members of HKBU’s senior management at the symposium.
Professor Alex Wai, President and Vice-Chancellor, remarks that the University is dedicated to drug development and has connected with global experts to jointly promote collaboration and innovation.
Sir Michael Houghton delivers a captivating lecture at the symposium on his remarkable journey of discovering the Hepatitis C virus.
Professor Johnson Lau shares his experience in anti-HCV development.
Dr Robert J Spiegel highlights the vital role of academic institutions in the drug research and discovery process.
Professor Manson Fok (1st left) and Professor Johnson Lau (2nd left) discussed biomedical research and drug development with Sir Michael Houghton (2nd right) and Dr Robert J Spiegel (1st right).
The symposium attracts participants from the University and the wider community for exchange and learning.

 

HKBU hosted the “Nobel Laureate Symposium – Hepatitis C Virus and Drug Development” on 24 February, featuring a captivating lecture by Sir Michael Houghton, the 2020 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine.

Sir Michael spoke on “Discovery of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV): The Nobel Prize in Medicine 2020”, recounting his remarkable journey in scientific discovery and sharing valuable insights into drug development. He also provided suggestions to young scientists based on his extensive experience. As a distinguished collaborator of Sir Michael, Professor Johnson Lau, Adjunct Senior Investigator of the Institute for Innovation, Translation and Policy Research, shared his experience in anti-HCV development.

Dr Spiegel, former Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President at Schering-Plough Research Institute (now Merck & Co), contributed insights into the challenges and opportunities in drug development. Drawing on his profound experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr Spiegel emphasised how emerging technologies can address longstanding issues in drug development and highlighted the vital role of academic institutions in the drug research and discovery process.

Sir Michael and Dr Spiegel then participated in a panel discussion jointly moderated by Professor Manson Fok, Dean of Faculty of Medicine of Macau University of Science and Technology, and Professor Johnson Lau. The discussion delved into the future of drug development and biomedical innovation.