Medical Faculty News v25i1

Research Highlights* (As of April 14, 2020) Diagnosis • Developed a protocol by mid-January to detect Covid-19 in suspected human cases. • Produced electron microscope images of the virus. • Produced leading research on the severity of infections in terms of numbers hospitalised and deaths. • Produced multiple reports on the viral dynamics in mild and severe cases, and showed that a deep throat saliva sample taken in early morning is effective for diagnosing and monitoring Covid-19 infection. • Developed rapid nucleic acid amplification tests for Covid-19 that have been used by public healthcare laboratories in more than 70 countries and territories. • Identified SARS-CoV-2-related coronaviruses in Malayan pangolins that were seized in smuggling operations in southern China. Transmission • First to demonstrate human-to-human transmission of the virus involving a family case at HKU- Shenzhen Hospital. • Produced the first analysis of the transmission dynamics of the disease in collaboration with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. • Produced the first mathematical dispersion model of the potential spread of Covid-19 within China and beyond; the projections, produced in late January, have in many ways been materialised. • Published an analysis on the effectiveness of face masks, involving pre-Covid-19 viruses, that was the fifth highest ranked article on Altmetric, which scores research papers globally based on the attention received in social media and mainstream news. Tests and Trials • Developed a hamster model that is more physiological than transgenic mice and more accessible than macaque monkeys. In one test, plasma from recovered hamsters was injected into infected hamsters and reduced the lung viral load by ten times. • First to use an ex vivo human lung explant model to demonstrate that the SARS-CoV-2 virus has a higher virus replication and lower interferon/inflammatory response than the 2003 SARS-CoV, which explains the relatively mild symptoms and higher transmissibility of the new virus. • Announced plans for a clinical trial on a possible target drug (through the HKU Clinical Trials Centre) and vaccine (through the State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases). The Bigger Picture • Two HKUMed staff (the Dean, Professor Gabriel Leung, and Professor Yuen Kwok-yung （袁國勇） ) appointed to the 25-member WHO-China Joint Mission that visited five cities over two weeks in February to assess the state of the epidemic in China and the effectiveness of its response. • Professor Leung appointed to co-convene the WHO’s research group on the epidemiology of Covid-19. • Three HKUMed staff (Professor Leung, Professor Yuen and Professor Keiji Fukuda （福田敬二） ) appointed to the Hong Kong government’s four- member expert advisory group on Covid-19. The Research Council chaired by the Secretary for Food and Health has approved a total fund- ing of HK$111 million on April 27 to support the two medical schools in Hong Kong to conduct 26 medical research studies on Covid-19 under the Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF). HKUMed received more than HK$76 million out of the total funding. 06 Stop Press