HKUMed’s own Clinical Trials Centre has been a model for this venture, having had 25 years of experience organising trials with pharma and academia and addressing the contractual, ethical and other issues involved. ‘It is the aspiration of HKUMed and society to promote the transformation of local research outcomes into applicable medical solutions. We will do our best to work with the government, academia, industry, global research institutions and the people of Hong Kong to maximise the Institute’s potential and position Hong Kong as a leading international hub for health and medical innovation,’ said the Vice-President & ProVice-Chancellor (Health) and Dean of Medicine, Professor Chak-sing Lau, after the government designated the Faculty as the GBAICTI operator in September. ‘This new responsibility dovetails with HKUMed’s commitment to research and translation. The Faculty has invested in high-end facilities, including the Centre for PanorOmic Sciences (focused on proteomics, genomics and metabolomics), a cryo-electron microscope and the coming GMP (good manufacturing practice) facility for cellular therapy manufacturing. Various initiatives are underway to help researchers take their discoveries beyond the academic world,’ echoed Professor Eric Tse Wai-choi, Associate Dean (Research). ‘Many of our academics make groundbreaking discoveries, but they may not know how to translate their results into impactful clinical applications. We aim to promote this entrepreneurial culture in the Faculty,’ Professor Tse said. The Faculty’s Technology Transfer Unit is leading that effort in collaboration with the University’s TechnoEntrepreneurship Core and Technology Transfer Office, aiding researchers with patents, licensing, start-up creation, connections with investors and pharmaceutical companies. Workshops are also being organised to raise awareness and develop business and entrepreneurial skills. Interdisciplinary collaboration is being promoted through workshops and informal research mixers to bring together scholars from different fields. Research postgraduate students are also being educated to think in terms of translation. At the same time, research translation successes are being publicised. At the 49th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva held in April, HKUMed scholars won several key awards for a 3D bioprinted liver for diagnosis and drug development; a novel cellular system for anti-ageing drug; a mobile app for monitoring heart health; and an automated telerehabilitation platform. Dean Lau hopes that when our researchers hear of these achievements, they will be inspired to think big. ‘We want to actively promote a culture where our dedicated researchers can clearly see that their results may be translatable into impactful solutions that at the end of the day will help patients have better health.’ Professor Chak-sing Lau ‘HKUMed is committed to advancing research and translation by investing in cutting-edge facilities that empower our researchers to turn discoveries into real-world applications.’ Professor Eric Tse Wai-choi 5 HKUMed News Winter 2024
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mzg4NDg0