News

A team of researchers in the Faculty of Engineering of The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has developed a coin-sized system that can read weak electrochemical signals, which can be used for personalised health monitoring and measurement of such conditions as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and mental health.

Researchers from Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of The University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) revealed insights into the mechanism of how coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV-1, and MERS-CoV exploit a host protease called ‘cysteine-aspartic protease 6’ (caspase-6) for efficient replication. The findings are peer reviewed and recently accepted for publication in the leading scientific journal Nature.

Dr Bayden D. RUSSELL from The Swire Institute of Marine Science (SWIMS) and The School of Biological Sciences (SBS) at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), along with his research group, in collaboration with Dr Maria BYRNE, from the Sydney Institute of Marine Science, The University of Sydney (USyd), experimentally assessed whether adult sea urchins (Heliocidaris erythrogramma) that are exposed to marine heatwaves could pass beneficial protective mechanisms onto their offspring, thus ensuring the survival of the next generation. The findings indicated that adult sea urchins could pass on this heatwave resistance to the next generation. However, the study also identified that these carryover effects may not remain effective throughout the development and growth of juvenile urchins. The findings have been published in Global Change Biology.

A presentation ceremony was held today (August 1) to award six outstanding athletes with the HKU Lee Shau Kee Top Athletes Scholarship. Each athlete will receive HK$400,000 for their academic and sports career development.

HKU sports scholar recipient (2020-21 intake) and undergraduate student at the HKU Business School, Ms. Yeung Tsz Chai, Natalie won the Women’s Individual Champion in Hong Kong Archery Open held on 18 Jun 2022. She also broke three Hong Kong records (Outdoor Compound Women Individual 50M Elimination, Outdoor Compound Junior Women Individual 50M Qualification, and Outdoor Compound Junior Women Individual 50M Elimination) in the 2022 Hyundai Archery World Cup organised by World Archery World in France, held from 21 to 26 June 2022.

A research team from the Department of Physics, The University of Hong Kong (HKU), discovered the clear evidence to characterise a highly entangled quantum matter—the quantum spin liquid (QSL) (a phase of matter that remains disordered even at very low temperatures) from large-scale simulations on supercomputers.

Researchers from the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Department of Computer Science of Chu Hai College of Higher Education, collaborated to develop a new approach using artificial intelligence to automate the design of individualised dentures, in order to enhance the treatment efficiency and improve patient experience.

An interdisciplinary research team led by Dr Zhiqin Chu of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and Dr Yuan Lin of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, HKU, in collaboration with Dr Kwai Hei Li from Southern University of Science and Technology, has developed a low-cost, highly miniaturized and incubator compatible GaN chipscope, which enables real-time monitoring of cells in the limited and humid space of an incubator.

A research team led by Professor Kelvin Yeung Wai-kwok from the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) has designed a non-invasive technology to revitalise the bactericidal effects of conventional antibiotics in multidrug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli (E. coli)-associated deep tissue infections, such as urinary tract and peritoneal infections.

The research team, supervised by Professor Anderson Ho Cheung Shum and led by Dr. Yi Pan from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at HKU has developed a transformable 3D origami microfluidic device inspired by the nastic movement of the clover plant, to accomplish the device’s responsiveness to temperature, humidity, and light.