FEATURE practical applications, such as mobile apps and digital health solutions. ‘A central repository, a kind of “Data Commons”, will manage HKUMed’s already-substantial data repository and ensure that proper privacy and security protocols are maintained. Regulatory and business development professionals will also be brought in, and industry and community partnerships will be initiated and strengthened,’ said Professor Esther Chan Wai-yin, Chairperson of the HKUMed Research Data Collaboration Task Force, Director of the Centre for Safe Medication Practice and Research (CSMPR), and Assistant Dean (Health Sciences Education). Dedicated Platform to Bridge Research, Clinical Discoveries, Technology and the World The development of this platform is being coordinated by Professor Esther Chan Wai-yin, Professor Joshua Ho Wing-kei, Assistant Dean (Innovation & Technology Transfer), and Professor Walter Seto Wai-kay, Assistant Dean (Interdisciplinary Collaboration), with substantial support from HKUMed colleagues and partners such as the HKU Musketeers Foundation Institute of Data Science. The platform is expected to be launched in the coming months. The aim is for it to become a major hub for digital health in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, and beyond. This initiative will build on the Faculty’s strong performance in innovation and technology transfer, as illustrated in the research stories covered in this section. ‘Our Faculty has always had a variety of electronic medical datasets, such as genomics data, sequencing data and medical imaging, and mobile and wearable devices are also being developed,’ said Professor Ho. ‘What we have been missing is a dedicated platform to consolidate and integrate these activities, which is essential for accelerating research and translating findings into practical applications.’ As a bioinformatics specialist, Professor Ho noted that every year during grant application seasons, his colleagues reach out for help in developing systems that can collect and analyse their data and present it in different ways. Professor Seto, an experienced clinical researcher, said, ‘Ten years ago, these were areas that a traditional biomedical researcher might have been working on. But now with increased interdisciplinary collaboration between medicine, engineering and other fields, we see this integration trend becoming very important for the future.’ The platform will operate similarly to the Centre for PanorOmic Sciences (CPOS), which serves the whole Faculty with services such as genome sequencing, microscopy and mass spectrometry analysis. But it will go beyond technical support by offering help with regulatory requirements and commercialisation. ‘It will deepen the application of AI and medical big data by emphasising strategic projects, such as innovative vaccine development, cancer screening and treatment, stroke rehabilitation, healthcare support, mental health and neurodegeneration, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and bone health. The primary objective of this new initiative is to advance the application of AI technology to enhance societal health and well-being, thereby addressing public health needs through technological innovation,’ said Professor Chan. We need a dedicated platform to consolidate and integrate these activities, which is essential for accelerating research and translating findings into practical applications. Professor Joshua Ho Wing-kei ‘ ’ 4
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mzg4NDg0