RESEARCH: Translate and Collaborate HKUMed’s research is highly regarded around the globe. Thirty-one of our academics were on Clarivate’s prestigious 2023 Highly Cited Researchers list and 65 are among the top 1% of researchers in their fields globally. Moreover, their excellence is recognised locally through their great success in securing research grants. In 2023/24, the Faculty received a total of HK$76.8 million General Research Fund from the Research Grants Council for 54 medical research projects of global impact, the highest number and funding amount in the medical field in Hong Kong. These remarkable achievements have placed HKUMed in a strong position for meeting new and emerging demands and making a positive impact on global health. Society’s expectations are greater than ever, especially with new technologies that hold much promise for improving patient treatment and care. HKUMed is also expected to contribute to healthcare priorities for the future development of Hong Kong and the GBA. To meet these challenges, the portfolio of Associate Dean (Research), Professor Eric Tse Wai-choi, has been expanded to include five Assistant Deans – Professor Walter Seto Wai-kay in interdisciplinary collaboration, Professor Stephanie Ma Kwai-yee in innovation and technology transfer, Professor Carmen Wong Chak-lui in core platforms and advancement, and Professors Daniel Fong Yee-tak and Judy Yam Wai-ping in postgraduate studies – as well as Senior Advisor (Policy & Governance) Professor Danny Chan. A new technology transfer unit has also been established within the Faculty to support the sharper focus on translation and collaboration. ‘If we can facilitate our principal investigators to translate their research, both our patients and the general public will benefit,’ said Professor Tse. Towards that end, major new core facilities have recently been established, such as the Li Ka Shing Cryo-EM Laboratory and the HKUMed Laboratory of Cellular Therapeutics. The latter offers leading-edge GMP (good manufacturing practice) capabilities for developing advanced therapy products, such as stem cell therapy for cardiac diseases and CAR-T cell therapy for blood cancers, and it is expected to get its operational license from the Department of Health this year. ‘We hope this will enable us to focus more on translational research,’ remarked Professor Tse, who is also leading CAR-T cell therapy development. Researchers are also being actively encouraged to find collaborators across disciplines and at the local, regional and international levels to spur translation and innovation further. ‘We want our staff to step out of silos and promote and facilitate research collaborations between clinicians and nonclinical scientists within HKU and beyond,’ he said. The HKU Clinical Trials Centre is part of the translation conversation, given its strong international reputation and partnership with industry (about one-quarter of drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration are tested there) and support for HKUMed academics – it recently organised a clinical trial for our intranasal COVID-19 vaccine. The Faculty is now trying to expand clinical trials beyond its base at Queen Mary Hospital ↓HKUMed has been ramping up translational research to benefit patients and the general public. FEATURE 12
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