E-CityU101/20
Three Dimensional Characterization of Magnetic Solitons by Electron Magnetic Dichroisme

Hong Kong Principal Investigator: Dr Xiaoyan Zhong (City University of Hong Kong)
European Principal Investigator: Prof Dr Rafal E Dunin-Borkowski (Forschungszentrum Jülich)

To meet the requirements of mobile information-everywhere society and to enable the Internet-of-Things, the so-called “Von Neumann architecture”, which is based on the separation of processing and storage units in a two-dimensional (2D) architecture, is insufficient. In collaboration with the European partners, the HK research team will open the field of three-dimensional (3D) magnetization textures as the new information carriers at the nanoscale to fundamental science, with a view to enabling disruptive applications. 3D magnetic solitons (MSs) are foreseen to play the role of information carriers that can move freely in any spatial direction and to offer a key advance over conventional 2D magnetization textures.

The ability to control the motion of 3D MSs, together with characterization of their static and dynamic properties, promises to completely change the understanding of fundamental aspects of 3D soliton physics. 3D magnetic hopfions, magnetic globules and chiral bobbers are the primary topics of research in this proposal. Their unique static and dynamic properties connected to their dimensionality and topology, result in much richer physics than that of well-established 2D solitons, while their 3D nature is a key enabler for novel non-conventional computing applications. However, the experimental characterization of 3D spin textures of MSs, especially magnetic hopfions, at the nanometer scale presents a formidable challenge.

This project, in partnership with the joint European Research Council synergy grant “Three-dimensional magnetization textures: Discovery and control on the nanoscale” (3D MAGiC), aims to characterize the spatially localized nanoscale 3D MSs with particle-like properties in selected single crystals of ferromagnets and antiferromagnets with frustrated exchange interactions. 3D magnetization textures are currently elusive because of a methodological blind spot in the reconstruction of 3D magnetization fields, in particular for length scales of between 2 and 25 nm and there is a lack of techniques. Improvements in instrumentation and methodology, which will provide greatly improved nm-scale 3D spatial resolution in magnetic characterization by combining spatially-resolved electron energy loss spectroscopy, aberration correction, electron magnetic circular dichroism and electron magnetic linear dichroism, the exploration of new physics and applications of these fascinating structures are the key aims of this project. 3D observations of magnetic solitons and their interactions by high spatial resolution electron magnetic dichroism would revolutionize the understanding of soliton physics and provide a breakthrough for applications, where for neuromorphic devices the necessary interconnectivity and configuration space is available only in 3D.

E-HKU703/20
Targeting Gut Microbiota for Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Hong Kong Principal Investigator: Prof Aimin Xu (The University of Hong Kong)
European Principal Investigator: Dr Gianni Panagiotou (Hans Knoell Institute)

With a rapid rise in the prevalence of overweight and obesity globally, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming a burgeoning public health problem and an important risk factor for both hepatic and cardiometabolic mortality. NAFLD encompasses a wide histological spectrum, ranging from simple steatosis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), advanced fibrosis, cirrhosis and NASH-related hepatocellular carcinoma. A myriad of factors, including overnutrition, sedentary lifestyle, insulin resistance and genetic predisposition, acts synergistically in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. However, despite of years of intensive research, there is currently no effective drug available for treatment of NAFLD, due to a lack of in-depth understanding of the molecular pathogenesis underlying this chronic disease.

The human gastrointestinal tract is inhabited by a complex community of over 100 trillion microbial cells which play central roles in human physiology, metabolism, nutrition and immune function. Imbalance and maladaptation of gut microbiota (namely dysbiosis) has been implicated in many chronic diseases including obesity, diabetes and the cardiometabolic syndrome and NAFLD. The HK team’s recent collaborative study with the European Union (EU) partner has identified several microbial species closely associated with the progression of NAFLD, in a unique clinical cohort with biopsy-proven diagnosis collected from obese individuals receiving bariatric surgery. Furthermore, the joint work of HK team has uncovered a key role of gut microbiota as a molecular transducer in conferring the health benefits of physical exercise, a well-established lifestyle intervention for management of NAFLD. Based on these findings, the research team proposes that altered abundance and/or metabolic capacity of these gut microbial species is causally involved in the onset and progression of NAFLD by acting individually or collectively on the gut-liver axis to modulate gut permeability, immune response and metabolism, and that the protective effect of exercise intervention against NAFLD is mediated in part by reshaping gut microbiota. The research team will test this hypothesis in both animal models and patients using faecal microbiota transplantation and engraftment with individual microbial strains, in conjunction with integrated metagenomics and metabolomics analysis. The HK team will collaborate closely with the EU-funded “BestTreat” project, including data sharing, comparative analysis and independent validation in different clinical cohorts in Europe and Asia.

The findings from this study will shed new light on the pathogenesis of NAFLD and provide scientific evidence rationalizing exercise for effective management of this chronic liver disease. Furthermore, it will also help to develop novel therapeutic interventions for NAFLD by targeting gut microbiota (such as probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics).

E-CUHK401/20
Multifunctional Hydrogel-based Magnetic Heteroswarm for Liver Chemoembolization

Hong Kong Principal Investigator: Prof Li Zhang (Chinese University of Hong Kong)
European Principal Investigator: Prof Arianna Menciassi (The BioRobotics Institute)

Swarm behaviors of living systems, originating from the local communications among individual elements, are ubiquitous yet striking phenomena in nature. Inspired by nature, artificial swarm systems are created and expected to have the advantages of performing complex tasks in a collective manner using relatively simple building units which cannot or can hardly be conducted individually. Furthermore, when downscaling the building components to micro/nanoscale, swarm systems exhibit promising potentials for minimally invasive medicine, such as targeted therapy, remote sensing and detoxification.

Unlike the macroscopic agents with on-board power supply, sensors and actuators that emulate some natural counterparts, the design and development of swarms at the small scales require different strategies. To date, various mechanisms have been developed to trigger and control collective behaviors, such as light, magnetic fields, chemical gradients, and so on. However, there still exist many challenges before realizing the potential biomedical applications of colloidal microswarms. For example, the micro/nanoagents in a small-scale swarm usually need to be able to perform a wide spectrum of tasks, which, if taking targeted therapy for instance, range from sensing and responding to the surrounding environment, to storing and releasing molecules or cells when stimulated by environmental physical or chemical stimuli. Besides, the investigation of colloidal swam is mostly conducted in water or artificial fluids, which is far from the actual application scenarios in biomedical fields. How the complex nature of biofluids will affect the collective behaviors of colloidal swarms remains not fully understood.

Recently, the HK team collaborates with the European Union (EU) partner on the project entitled “Magnetic swArms for liver chemoeMBOlization (MAMBO)”, with the aim to develop drug-loaded, ultrasound-responsive, homogeneous magnetic microrobots swarm for targeted liver chemoembolization. In this project, based on the synergy with MAMBO, the overall objective is to develop a heterogeneous microswarm that can execute cooperative tasks for liver chemoembolization, with building blocks of various hydrogel-based microparticles that have multifunctionalities. This collaborative project will be undertaken from the following three aspects: (1) Modification and characterization of functional magnetic hydrogel-based microparticles as the building blocks of heteroswarm for the implementation of customized and hierarchical functionalities; (2) Fundamental understanding on the collective behaviors of heteroswarm in water and complex biofluids for realizing swarm generation, reconfiguration and locomotion in dynamic blood; (3) Studies and optimization on the catheter-assisted delivery of heteroswarm to the targeted vessels, and localized chemoembolization using the heteroswarm in the human vascular model.

E-CityU102/20
Development of One-step Food Waste Biorefinery via Novel Bioreactor Design, Functional Strain Adaptive Laboratory Evolution and Genetic Engineering

Hong Kong Principal Investigator: Dr Carol Sze Ki Lin (City University of Hong Kong)
European Principal Investigator: Prof Sofie Lodens (Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant)

Hong Kong has an urgent need for food waste management. Approximately 3,600 tonnes of food waste are disposed of in landfills in Hong Kong every day. These landfills are expected to be full in coming years. In the long term, unavoidable food waste should be sorted out from other municipal solid waste and then transformed into valuable resources. Technology-integrated biorefineries are a powerful tool to utilise waste stream as a potential renewable feedstock. The material recovery approach to resolve the problem of the waste burden and enrich bioproduction is an evolving area in which research and development is urgently needed.
The proposed project will aim to develop a food waste-derived biosurfactant via a novel fermenter design and the genetic engineering of a robust yeast to explore the bioeconomic viability of waste biorefineries. The proposed work signifies a new direction in the field of heterologous enzyme expression in an unconventional yeast strain and integrated hydrolysis-fermentation bioprocesses. In addition, environmental and economic effects/benefits associated with this new sustainable waste-based biorefinery production methodology will be evaluated.

The four proposed work packages (WPs) are closely connected, and they are mainly related to the development of a highly integrated laboratory-scale waste biorefinery system for fermentative production of sophorolipids (SL) via a novel reactor design and adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) and the use of omics analysis-associated genetic engineering. In WP I, the ALE of native and engineered Starmerella bombicola strains will be developed towards increased inhibitor tolerances, and quantitative multi-omics analysis will be applied to understand the mechanism behind inhibitory effect. In WP II, a one-pot hydrolysis-fermentation bioreactor capable of performing simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) with a high solid-to-liquid ratio will be developed. In WP III, we will investigate the use of engineered S. bombicola strains containing heterologously expressing hydrolytic enzymes for food waste hydrolysis. In WP IV, we will integrate the above-mentioned novel developments for fermentative production of sophorolipids.

This proposed project will also build on our previous successful collaborations with Ghent University and Bio Based Europe Pilot Plant in Belgium, as evidenced by a number of publications in high-impact journals. Successful completion of this proposed project will bridge the gap between laboratory research, industrial applications, sustainability and waste valorisation. This proposed project will accumulate scientific and public knowledge by exploring bioeconomy innovations, that leads to direct benefits for environment, economy at Hong Kong and around the globe.