HKU Bulletin June 2004 (Vol. 5 No. 4)

11 10 PEOPLE Genetic Key to Mental Illness S ham Pak Chung has taken 33 years to return to Hong Kong but the Visiting Professor in Psychiatry is determined to make up for lost time by finding the genetic key to mental illness. The Hong Kong-born but British bred academic has arrived at the University to help set up an ambitious research programme to find the genes responsible for causing schizophrenia and other mental disorders. Sham is in the vanguard of medical science’s drive to find out the missing link between our genetic make-up and mental health as the first step to finding a long-term genetic cure. He said: “If you can find out the genetic differences that are responsible for why some people develop disorders then you can work backwards from the function of those genes to find out what’s going wrong in the disorders. “Genetics is a shortcut to understanding the illness.” With 500 schizophrenic patients and 500 control subjects, Sham has already got a number of candidate genes lined up for stud B y. ut the Cambridge and Oxford educated and Maudsley trained psychiatrist admits that they have a long way to go. He said: “Our knowledge of the patho-physiology of mental i l lness is rather l imited: in part perhaps because it is not a glamorous subject but also because it is so complex. “You might be able to compare a pig and human heart but the brain is more difficult. “With a condition like anxiety you can see that in an animal but schizophrenia is at an altogether higher level of brain function.” Sham, however, is not satisfied with one project alone. Along with his involvement in the large Areas of Excellence study on the genetics of skeletal development, Sham has his fingers in many research pies across many different fields. You can best understand his popularity among his colleagues by studying his title at King’s College, London: Professor of Psychiatric and Statistical Genetics. As a number cruncher, Sham provides the methodology, or framework, within which to analyze data. This gives him the chance to straddle any number of medical research projects. But these factors alone were not the only reasons why Sham is back in Hong Kong. He said: “It is a great honour to be a Visiting Professor in the place I was born, also to have the chance to do research with lots of potential and in conjunction with the new Genome Research Cen “ tr B e u . t it also represents an opportunity to bring my family back and show them Hong Kong, live in this part of the world and let my children brush up on their Chinese.” This blend of the private and professional even extends to Sham’s wife, who was also born in Hong Kong. They met in the UK while she was doing her PhD research proje S c h t. am said: “We are looking forward to spending some extended time in our birthplace and I am really looking forward to the challenge of new projects. “I am sure that genetic research at The University of Hong Kong will pave the way for other scientists to find some kind of treatment or cure for many serious illnesses.” Royal Society of Chemistry Honour P rofessor Vivian Yam Wing Wah is the first Chinese academic to be awarded a Centenary Lectureship by the Royal Society of Chemistry. Professor Yam, Head of the Department of Chemistry and Chair of Chemistry, has been offered an endowed lectureship in recognition of her research contributions to inorganic chemistry. Professor Yam was the youngest scientist to be elected to the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2002 when she was 38 years old. She is researching novel organometallic compounds which could eventual ly lead to new types of luminescent materials. Luminescence is a general term for light emission, including photoluminescence, electroluminescence and others. She and her team have synthesized many new molecular materials that have promising optical and light-emitting properties. They may find interesting applications in materials science. The Royal Society of Chemist ry is one of the largest organizations in Europe for advancing the chemical sciences. Supported by a network of 45,000 members worldwide and an internationally acclaimed publishing business, its activities span education and training, conferences and science policy, and the promotion of the chemical sciences to the public. The Centenary aims to promote the interchange of chemists between the United Kingdom and other countries. With the financial support of the fund, three Centenary Lecturers from all areas of Chemistry are appointed annually. Professor Gets Top Honours from Engineering Fraternity T he Hong Kong Institution of Engineering (HKIE) has named Professor Cheung Yau Kai as i ts f irst Gold Medal winner in recogni t ion of his outstanding contributions and achievements in the field of engineering. The award was presented on March 9, 2004 at the HKIE’s 29th annual dinner held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.