HKU’s world-leading research on emerging infectious diseases has come to the forefront during the COVID-19 pandemic, when our scholars were among the first to alert the world to the scale and nature of the virus. Recent research has focussed on containing the virus and protecting the population. COVID-19 EXPERTISE: FROM THE LAB TO THE COMMUNITY Detecting COVID-19 through Sewage Staying ahead of COVID-19 outbreaks has been a challenge around the world. But a method devised by a cross-disciplinary team led by Professor Zhang Tong in the Department of Civil Engineering is giving governments a fighting chance. Working with colleagues in the School of Public Health, Professor Zhang developed technology that can detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its variants in sewage samples. It was first used in Hong Kong and proved instrumental in preventing large community outbreaks by detecting hidden carriers. The process was developed over summer 2020 and became incorporated into the government’s control strategy for COVID-19 in December, with compulsory testing ordered for areas or buildings with positive sewage testing results. By June 2021, more than 50 silent carriers had been found and their hidden transmission chains stopped. The routine sewage monitoring system now covers over 110 stationary sampling sites in Hong Kong and can detect early warning signals of COVID-19 re-emergence from among a population of more than 5.4 million people. The team continued to develop the process and in June successfully identified the Delta variant in Hong Kong sewage. Their sewage-testing tool won a Gold Medal at the Special Edition 2021 Inventions Geneva Evaluation Days. “Sewage may tell the health of a city, and we are learning how to listen to it,” Professor Zhang said. Pioneering Nasal Vaccine Undergoes Clinical Trials Professor Chen Honglin and his team in the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine developed a nasal-spray COVID-19 vaccine that was the first of its kind to enter a human clinical trial and won the Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury at the Special Edition 2021 Inventions Geneva Evaluation Days. The nasal spray delivers the vaccine to the upper respiratory tract, which is the first line of immunity for infections. It is based on technology used to manufacture influenza vaccines, with tweaking by Professor Chen to adapt it to a coronavirus. It can be produced by any influenza vaccine manufacturer, does not require special handling, and can be applied to people of all ages. It is also effective against the major variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. The vaccine has been developed in partnership with Xiamen University and Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy Enterprise Co. Ltd. and received two stages of funding (US$0.62 million + US$4.8 million) from the international Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and a HK$20 million grant from the Hong Kong Government’s Health and Medical Research Fund to be used towards clinical trials to determine the efficacy and safety of the vaccine. The first of these was launched in Mainland China in September 2020 and in Hong Kong in March 2021. The results so far have been highly promising and Phase 3 clinical trials have been planned and were due to start before the end of 2021. “We hope this vaccine can be used to boost the immunity in the upper respiratory tract to reduce transmission in coming endemics of SARS-CoV-2,” Professor Chen said. Community Outreach that Goes Both Ways The Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine (HKUMed) began operating a Community Vaccination Centre in 2021 where it administers the COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine: Comirnaty (BNT 162b2) from Fosun Pharma / BioNTech. The centre initially operated at Ap Lei Chau Sports Centre and switched to HKUMed affiliate Gleneagles Hospital in October 2021. As of the end of October, 147,000 vaccine injections had been administered through these outlets. In addition to this contribution to the community, HKUMed is also recruiting volunteers from its own and other vaccination centres for further research on COVID-19. Among the studies underway are a longitudinal study that follows volunteers for up to three years after vaccination to monitor their immunity over time; a study on the vaccination of adolescents and children; an investigation of the effects of combining mRNA and inactivated COVID-19 vaccines; and the testing of a booster shot. HKUMed has also been at the forefront in advising senior policymakers and sharing solid science-based knowledge with the community since the earliest days of the pandemic. This outreach has helped shape the government’s and public’s response to the threat and was honoured by a 2020 Faculty Knowledge Exchange Award, which was bestowed on Professor Keiji Fukuda and his team. The testing method invented by Professor Zhang Tong’s team targets different mutations of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 and can detect and quantify SARS-CoV-2 variants with high specificity in the sewage sample within a few hours. HKUMed operated the Community Vaccination Centre at Ap Lei Chau Sports Centre from March to September 2021 and started operating the HKU Community Vaccination Centre at Gleneagles Hospital from October 2021 onwards. The nasal-spray COVID-19 vaccine developed by Professor Chen Honglin (third from left) and his team won the Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury at the Special Edition 2021 Inventions Geneva Evaluation Days. Knowledge Exchange and Technology Transfer HKU ANNUAL REPORT 2021 34 | 35
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