Press Release

HKBU and Agilent Technologies Co. Ltd (China) establish joint laboratory to promote research on environmental new pollutants and toxicology

Monday, 27 May 2024

 

The Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis (SKLEBA) and Agilent Technologies Co. Ltd (China) have jointly established the “SKLEBA (HKBU) - Agilent Joint Laboratory”. With its research focus on environmental new pollutants analysis and toxicology, the Joint Laboratory will provide scientific support to authorities in formulating public health policies, making contributions to Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, and the Nation. The opening ceremony of the Joint Laboratory was held today (27 May).

At the ceremony, Professor Cai Zongwei, Chair Professor of the Department of Chemistry and Director of the SKLEBA at HKBU, and Mr Yang Ting, Vice President and General Manager of Greater China of Agilent Technologies, signed the collaboration agreement on behalf of the two partners. Mr Raymond Wu Wai-man, Deputy Director of Environmental Protection, Environmental Protection Department of the HKSAR Government; Dr Terence Cheung Yung-yan, Consultant (Community Medicine) (Risk Assessment & Communication), Risk Assessment & Communication Division, Centre for Food Safety of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department of the HKSAR Government; Professor Lyu Aiping, Vice-President (Research and Development) cum Dean of Graduate School and Acting Dean of the School of Chinese Medicine of HKBU; Professor Michael Ng, Dean of the Faculty of Science of HKBU; Ms Tiffany Kang, Associate Vice President and Director of Commercial Solution of Greater China of Agilent Technologies; and Mr Zheng Xin, Associate Vice President and Senior Commercial Marketing Director of Greater China of Agilent Technologies, together with the two agreement signing representatives, unveiled the plaque of the Joint Laboratory.

In his address at the ceremony, Professor Lyu Aiping said: “The Joint Laboratory is committed to becoming the core of innovative research and development which drives cutting-edge research in the fields of environmental safety, food safety and human health. We are confident that the state-of-the-art equipment and advanced facilities in the laboratory will significantly facilitate relevant academic inquiries and development of testing solutions.”

The SKLEBA at HKBU is dedicated to cutting-edge research on persistent organic pollutants, while Agilent Technologies Co. Ltd (China) has state-of-the-art instruments and extensive expertise in engineering with robust technical support. The establishment of the Joint Laboratory will create a more advanced research and analysis platform, further empowering HKBU to broaden its capabilities in scientific research. This collaboration will enable HKBU to delve deeper into the research on environmental and food safety as well as forensic analysis, responding to societal needs for environmental and biological analysis technologies.

The Joint Laboratory will be equipped with cutting-edge facilities, including the Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometers for the analysis of volatile environmental pollutants and metabolites; a Liquid Chromatography Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer for the analysis of non-volatile environmental pollutants and metabolites; and an Infrared Microscope for examining the form and chemical composition of microplastics in the environment and in foods. Researchers will leverage the facilities along with advanced ionisation technology to identify trace pollutants in the environment; analyse and detect carcinogenic and DNA mutation chemicals in food such as acrylamide, melamine and malachite green; detect explosives and their compounds; and rapidly identify drugs and contraband such as fentanyl and ketamine.

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Professor Cai Zongwei, Chair Professor of the Department of Chemistry and Director of the SKLEBA at HKBU (left, front row), and Mr Yang Ting, Vice President and General Manager of Greater China of Agilent Technologies (right, front row), sign the collaboration agreement on behalf of the two partners. The signing ceremony is witnessed by (from left, back row) Professor Michael Ng, Dean of the Faculty of Science of HKBU; Professor Lyu Aiping, Vice-President (Research and Development) cum Dean of Graduate School and Acting Dean of the School of Chinese Medicine of HKBU; Ms Tiffany Kang, Associate Vice President and Director of Commercial Solution of Greater China of Agilent Technologies; and Mr Zheng Xin, Associate Vice President and Senior Commercial Marketing Director of Greater China of Agilent Technologies.
(From left) Ms Tiffany Kang, Associate Vice President and Director of Commercial Solution of Greater China of Agilent Technologies; Professor Michael Ng, Dean of the Faculty of Science of HKBU; Mr Raymond Wu Wai-man, Deputy Director of Environmental Protection, Environmental Protection Department of the HKSAR Government; Professor Lyu Aiping, Vice-President (Research and Development) cum Dean of Graduate School and Acting Dean of the School of Chinese Medicine of HKBU; Mr Yang Ting, Vice President and General Manager of Greater China of Agilent Technologies; Dr Terence Cheung Yung-yan, Consultant (Community Medicine) (Risk Assessment & Communication), Risk Assessment & Communication Division, Centre for Food Safety of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department of the HKSAR Government; Professor Cai Zongwei, Chair Professor of the Department of Chemistry and Director of the SKLEBA at HKBU; and Mr Zheng Xin, Associate Vice President and Senior Commercial Marketing Director of Greater China of Agilent Technologies, unveil the plaque of the Joint Laboratory.