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This article introduces two projects which have been funded recently.
Cancer is the top killer in Hong Kong and many other parts of the world. Early detection and timely treatment are amongst the most effective strategies for combating this deadly disease. Professor Dennis Lo, Director of the Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) have devoted his research to DNA-based diagnostics, especially in the area of plasma DNA testing in which he is a pioneer. In 1997, Professor Lo discovered that blood plasma of pregnant women contained a low concentration of fetal DNA. After over a decade of efforts, Professor Lo has developed an accurate test for fetal Down syndrome based on this technology. Professor Lo sees a parallel between a fetus developing inside its pregnant mother and a tumour growing in a cancer patient's body. He further proposes that these two phenomena can be investigated using similar diagnostic technologies. In this regard, Professor Lo and his collaborators have just received a grant of close to HK$32M from the Hong Kong Research Grants Council, under the Theme-based Research Scheme, to use state-of-the-art DNA technology for using plasma DNA to test for cancer. The research team is multi-disciplinary and involves CUHK's Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, State Key Laboratory in Oncology in South China, Department of Chemical Pathology, Department of Clinical Oncology, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics and The University of Hong Kong's Genome Research Centre. The project team plans to use a technology called 'massively parallel sequencing' to analysing plasma DNA. This technology allows millions to billions of DNA molecules to be analysed in a single experiment. Using this strategy, the mutations and other molecular changes of a tumour can be analysed using just a blood sample from a patient. By measuring the concentration of tumour DNA in a patient's plasma, the severity of the disease can be assessed. This technology also has the potential for monitoring the patient's response to treatment. For example, if a patient responds to treatment, then the circulating tumour DNA would be expected to reduce in concentration, to even undetectable level. The key advantage of this technology is its relatively non-invasive nature, as blood sampling is much less invasive than other procedures used for obtaining tumour tissues for testing, e.g. biopsy or surgery. The project teams plan to focus initially on liver and lung cancer. However, this strategy can potentially be used for any tumour type. If the research proceeds as planned, it is hoped that the technology could be used clinically in a few years' time. It is further hoped that this technology would ultimately help to reduce the mortality rate from cancer. The project team envisions that this research would bring valuable intellectual properties for Hong Kong and would help the development of the local biotechnology industry. Cell-based Heart Regeneration In the past decade, rapid and solid scientific progresses have
clearly demonstrated that the area of Stem Cell & Regenerative
Medicine promises to revolutionize modern medicine. Heart diseases
are a major cause of death worldwide. Loss of cardiomyocytes (CMs)
due to aging or diseases is irreversible. Current therapeutic regimes
are palliative; in end-stage heart failure, transplantation remains
the last resort but is hampered by a severe shortage of donors.
Human pluripotent stem cells (i.e. embryonic and induced pluripotent
stem cells a.k.a. ESC and iPSC, respectively) can self-renew while
maintaining their pluripotency to differentiate into all cell types,
including CMs. However, based on our team's own work in the past
decade, we have identified major scientific gaps: hESC/iPSC-CMs
have immature properties, small physical size (~10x<adult CMs),
absence of ordered organization, poorly-defined immunobiology and
sub-lineage specification, uncertain safety and efficacy. To address
these, Professor Ronald Li of the Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine
Consortium, Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine of The University
of Hong Kong assembled a multi-disciplinary team of world-class
experts to work collaboratively on our proposed 5-year program.
Our investigators are from local (HKU, HKUST, CUHK and CityU), mainland
(PKU, CAS) and foreign (Harvard, Stanford, NIH, Mt Sinai School
of Medicine in Manhattan, Oxford and Cambridge) institutions. Successful
completion will significantly advance the field of heart regeneration,
and lead to translations that benefit the community. For instance,
we expect to have available an immuno-compatible bio-artificial
pacemaker prototype with proven long-term efficacy and safety for
implantation via minimally invasive surgery to cure certain arrhythmias.
Engineered human heart tissues can also be used for cardiotoxicity
screening and drug discovery to minimize side effects. Overall,
our project will also focus on safety to lay the path for successful
clinical translations. The project is anticipated to generate a
cadre of locally trained stem cell biologists or foreign recruits
for developing HK into a sustainable Stem Cell Biotech hub. Our
proposed experiments are expected to generate patentable technologies,
thereby attracting entrepreneurial activities such as IP licensing
and contributing to a knowledge-based economy. Our team has ample
experience in such. In the past decade, our investigators have obtained
over 25 patents on the topics, and been involved with at least five
start-up biotech companies. By uniquely capitalizing on existing
expertise and equipment already invested and available in HK, this
flagship application from the multi-institutional collaborative
HK Stem Cell Initiative (HKSCI) serves as a first vehicle to
develop focused strengths in Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine
and to further boost HK's image as an international city, with a
capacity to make major technological breakthroughs in an emerging
field whose importance has been ignored by no developed nations.
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