The Review 2002

The Review 2002 Research 24 established in 1999 and combines the interests of both the University and the Institut Pasteur in battling infectious diseases. In 2002, the Centre signed contracts to make Hong Kong the fourth corner of a global scientific network that catalogues genome research. Currently, the only entry points to the International Nucleotide Sequence Database, which contains data on all known genetic life, are in the United States, Britain and Japan. Hong Kong will now join them. The move is supported by a $15 mi l l ion grant from the Innovation and Technology Fund – the largest of its kind ever for the University. It is expected to prov ide a major boost to genome researchers and the biotechnology industry in Hong Kong. the-art facilities will be developed to investigate new therapies for HIV infection and develop AIDS vaccines for China and the world. The Centre wi l l be an important l ink in helping to treat and reduce the spread of HIV infection on the Mainland. The AIDS epidemic could infect 10 million people there by 2010, according to a United Nations warning. The collaboration between the University and the Aaron Diamond Centre was welcomed by the Hong Kong SAR’s Chief Executive, Tung Chee Hwa, who is keen to draw top research scientists and centres to Hong Kong. HKU-PASTEUR RESEARCH CENTRE The HKU-Pasteur Research Centre is another internat ional col laborat i ve ef for t . I t was genetic basis of degenerative disc disease with other scientists from Hong Kong, Finland and the United States. Professor Leong earned a second honour in 2002 when he became the f i rst Chinese person to preside over the International Society of Orthopaedics Surgery and Traumatology. “It’s a great honour to me personally, but also to The University of Hong Kong because the Chinese Academy of Sciences is the highest body of scientific recognition in China,” Professor Leong said. Professor Vivian Yam Wing Wah, 38, is the youngest scient ist thus far elected to the Academy and, unusually, was elected on her first nomination. She is an inorganic chemist and joins her mentor, Professor C.M. Che, who was elected in 1995. Professor Yam is continuing the University’s long tradition of world-class research in inorganic chemistry. She is researching new compounds which could lead to new types of luminescent materials. She is also working on the molecular design of chemosensors and biosensors. Her research has been publ ished in leading international journals. “A lot of people may think that Hong Kong is not a good place for research, but I think there’s a lot of hope at Hong Kong University that if you aim high, and are confident, you can achieve a lot,” Professor Yam said. FACILITIES The University strives to provide world-class facilities for its researchers and students. This entails an on-going effort to update existing faci l i t ies and instal l new ones which can accommodate the latest technological and research requirements. The new Faculty of Medicine Building was off icial ly opened in 2002. The $1.5 bi l l ion complex houses state-of-the-art facilities in two blocks, including a Genome Research Centre, which will establish Hong Kong as a major global contributor to genetics and genome research. The Centre will look at the genetic factors for diseases common to Chinese and contribute to the Chinese Genome Project. Complementary and alternative medicine will be investigated, including Chinese medicine. In the long run, the Centre aims to produce ‘designer therapies’ for individual patients. The Centre has secured initital funding of $120 million over five years. HONOURS Two University of Hong Kong researchers were elected to the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2002, the highest scientific honour in China. Professor John Leong Chi Yan has spent 35 years in the Faculty of Medicine. He is the first medical doctor from Hong Kong to be elected to the Academy. Professor Leong is a special ist in spinal orthopaedics and has worked alongside leading pioneers in the field on spinal tuberculosis, spinal deformities and other conditions. He is also exploring the The University announced it will set up a sister research centre to the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Centre of New York. The HKU-Pasteur Research Centre became the fourth entry point to a global database of all known genetic life. John Leong Chi Yan Vivian Yam Wing Wah