HKU_vol23_issue 2_ebook_amended

Spotlight 16 Ms Tsang Wing-Hing was a graduate of The University of Hong Kong and it was her wish to give back to her alma mater. By establishing the “Tsang Wing Hing Professorship in Clinical Neuroscience” we hope it will support the further development of and research in neuroscience. The Tsang Family Clinical neuroscience is a branch of biomedicine that focuses on the scientific study of the fundamental mechanisms that underlie diseases and disorders of the nervous system. It seeks to develop new ways of diagnosing such neurological disorders that cause disturbances in the normal functioning of the body, and ultimately to develop novel treatments. Professor Gilberto Leung is a Clinical Professor and the holder of the Tsang Wing-Hing Professorship in Clinical Neuroscience at the Department of Surgery at The University of Hong Kong (HKU). He is Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning) of the Medical Faculty, Director of the Centre of Education and Training of the Department of Surgery, and Director of Trauma Service of Queen Mary Hospital (QMH). Professor Leung specialises in neurotrauma and brain tumours management at QMH, where he provides clinical services as an Honorary Consultant Neurosurgeon. Professor Leung's clinical and research interests include endoscopic skull base surgery, neurotrauma, the molecular biology of brain tumours, neuroprotective therapy as well as medical education, law and ethics. His work includes translational laboratory studies that encompass a wide range of areas including neuro- oncology, cerebrovascular diseases and neurotrauma in order to provide relevant and translatable pre-clinical evidence that addresses important unanswered questions. In neuro-oncology, he focuses on overcoming chemoresistance in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a type of incurable, highly malignant brain tumour. He has identified novel molecular candidates that may serve as promising therapeutic targets, and is collaborating with Endowed Professor Tsang Wing-Hing Professorship in Clinical Neuroscience 曾永馨基金教授席 (臨床神經科學) Professor Gilberto Leung Ka-kit (梁嘉傑) local and overseas biotechnology companies to investigate the application of novel therapies for these purposes. His team was the first to profile long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in GBM. Professor Leung was one of the principal investigators in the world's first umbilical cord blood cells transplantation for spinal cord injury patients conducted in conjunction with The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Rutger's University in the United States. This work demonstrated the feasibility and safety of the treatment, and subsequently led to further clinical trials. Professor Leung currently serves as Vice-President of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, and Chairman of the Academy's Education and Examination Committee. He is the Region XVI Chief (Asia-Australasia) of the Advanced Trauma Life Support Programme of the American College of Surgeons, and a governor of the College's China-Hong Kong Chapter. He teaches in low to middle-income countries as a travelling faculty for the Asian Australasian Congress of Neurological Surgeons. I am particularly interested in brain tumour biology and its treatment, and constantly look for new ways to protect our brain tissues. My laboratory work involves the investigation of new neuroprotective measures, such as drugs that can protect brain cells, and drugs that can reduce the brain’s inflammatory reactions to operations. ─ Professor Gilberto Leung