High Precision Measurement of Neutrino Oscillation
at Daya Bay
The recent discovery of neutrino oscillation
– a neutrino travelling in space transforms from one type to another – has profound
impacts on particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology. The Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino
Oscillation Experiment aims to measure a key but yet unknown neutrino oscillation
parameter, θ13, to an unprecedented precision
of better than 3 degrees, which is critical to the design of
future experimental tests of a possible explanation of
why matter dominates anti-matter in the universe, a key condition for
our existence.
The Hong Kong team has been an active member of the Daya Bay Collaboration, an
international team with 38 institutions. We will contribute to the
commissioning and monitoring of the experiment and analysis
of data, with the help of a subsystem of the antineutrino detector built by our team. We
will also design and construct a continuous radon monitoring system as well as a cover
gas system to minimize radon contamination of the detectors.
Project Coordinator:
Prof Ming Chung CHU (CUHK)
Schematic Identification of Predictors of Treatment
Non-Responders in Patients with Systolic Heart Failure
Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a major public health problem in Hong Kong. Data from
our heart failure registry shows that 1-year mortality and readmission for heart failure
is about 50%. Over the past two decades there have been significant advances in the
treatment of systolic heart failure with the use of drugs that block the major neurohormonal
responses to the initial injury. Recently cardiac devices such as
biventricular pacing (or CRT) which rectify the abnormal conduction and
contraction in CHF have also been used for CHF treatment. Although large scale clinical
trials have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of the commonly used drugs for CHF,
it is a common clinical observation that not all patients respond as well as others
and some not at all. Our hypothesis is that myocardial fibrosis and inflammation are key
mediators of non-response to CHF treatment.
We wish to undertake a large scale project to attempt to estimate the prevalence of
non-response and how we can identify these patients. We will combine the use
of advanced echocardiographic imaging techniques and novel biochemical and
molecular (microRNAs) biomarkers to establish and validate an Assessment Model which
identify treatment non-responders. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) will also
be performed in a subgroup to determine the relationship between cardiac scar burden and
echocardiographic function. The project also has the potential of identifying new diagnostic
and prognostic markers for CHF (biomarkers and microRNA),
pioneering new approaches to manage CHF, and is geared towards the
development of new treatment targets.
Project Coordinator:
Prof Cheuk Man YU (CUHK)
Mass Spectrometrybased Metabolomics
for the Characterization of Cellular Metabolic Pathways Associated
with the Development of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
We will develop and apply mass spectrometry (MS)-based metabolomics
for investigating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) that is one of the common
diseases posing major threat on human health in Hong Kong. Systems-level
metabolic profiling of different cell lines will be analyzed for deciphering the
functions of eIF-5A2 and PDSS2 genes. Furthermore, cancer stem cells (CSCs)
will also be investigated by metabolomic approach. The use of CSCs marked
by CD133 surface phenotype and bearing features would provide new
insight for metabolic programming associated with HCC development.
The differentiating metabolites will be highlighted and identified to
localize the metabolic pathways associated with HCC development by using non-targeted
and targeted metabolomic approaches. For the validation, analytical techniques
will be applied for the determination of enzymatic mutations or
abnormally enzymatic activities in cancer cell lines. The
metabolic networks will be simulated for opening a novel systemic insight into the
development of HCC.
Project Coordinator:
Prof Zongwei CAI (HKBU)
Identification of Redox-sensitive Proteins
and Characterization of Their Functions in Regulating the Oxidative Stress Response
in Arabidopsis
Cellular redox status regulates a variety of biological pathways. Oxidative stress
is linked to various human diseases. Similarly, cellular redox homeostasis is
a common mediator of physiological responses to environmental stresses in
plants. Oxidative stress signals are sensed by redox-sensitive proteins which
then transduce the signals into physiological responses. We will develop
redox proteomics approaches to identify redox-sensitive proteins in the model
plant Arabidopsis and investigate their functions in
regulating physiological responses to oxidative stress conditions. The knowledge from the study will
be greatly helpful in improving crop productivity. The
redox proteomics technology platform developed from the proposed research can also be
applied to similar studies in other organisms including humans.
Project Coordinator:
Dr Yiji XIA (HKBU)
Programming the Second Generation
Tumor-targeting Bacteria
Cancer remains a leading cause of death with current
therapeutic methods. Novel therapies are therefore in urgent
needs. One potential method is to use bacteria as cancer
therapeutic agent. Since bacteria can sense their environment,
distinguish between cell types, synthesize and deliver drugs
into cancer cells, attempts are made to program bacteria
to attack tumors. Current advances in synthetic biology
technology offer great opportunities in refining this approach.
In this project, we will establish a stepwise approach to
program bacterial strains that are able to detect tumor
microenvironment, effective in killing cancer cells and safe to
normal tissues, so that they can ultimately be used clinically to
treat cancer patients.
Project Coordinator:
Dr Jiandong HUANG (HKU)
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Development of Efficient Luminogenic
Materials in the Aggregate State: Fundamental Understanding and
Practical Applications
Luminescent materials have potential applications in optical, electronic, and
biological science and engineering. Whereas many “conventional” organic luminophores
are highly emissive in dilute solutions, they become weakly luminescent or non-emissive
when aggregated, showing an aggregation-caused quenching effect. This notorious
problem must be solved because the luminophores are commonly utilized in the
aggregate state for real-world applications. The present study aims to develop new
luminogenic materials, whose emissions will be enhanced by aggregate formation,
thus showing a novel aggregation-induced emission (AIE) effect. The new AIE system
is of scientific value and has practical implications. In this research project, we will develop a
new photophysical theory to
understand the “abnormal” AIE effect and explore the technological applications of
the AIE luminogens as chemical sensors, biological probes, immunoassay markers,
stimuli-responsive materials, and active layers in the fabrication of efficient organic
electroluminescence devices.
Project Coordinator:
Prof Ben Zhong TANG (HKUST)
A Multi-disciplinary Approach to Investigate Vascular
Dysfunction in Obesity and Diabetes: From Molecular Mechanism to
Therapeutic Intervention
Cardiovascular disease (CVD), including stroke, heart
attack and periphery artery disease, is the major cause of death and hospitalization in the ageing population
worldwide. Much of the high incidence of CVD is attributed to the epidemic of obesity and diabetes.
Unfortunately, none of the current therapies can reverse the progression of CVD. To develop more
effective medications, it is of great importance to understand the pathological pathways that link obesity, diabetes and
vascular disease. With the support from our previous RGC Collaborative Research Fund grant, we
have identified three fat-derived circulating factors
as a key mediator of obesity-related CVD in mice. The objective of this collaborative project is to
comprehensively investigate the pathological roles and clinical relevance of these circulating factors in the
development of CVD in both large animals and humans. The results will help us to develop new
diagnostic tools and better therapeutics for risk prediction and prevention of CVD.
Project Coordinator:
Dr Aimin XU(HKU)
Smart Grid
Concerns with global warming prompted governments throughout the world to
pursue policies aiming at increasing renewable energy generation so as to
reduce greenhouse gases due to electricity generation with fossil fuels. However,
due to the intermittent characteristics of renewable energy sources such as wind
and solar, it is a challenge for a system with large renewable generation capacities
to implement real-time power balance. Recently, many countries have
announced smart grid research programs to re-vitalize
their electricity generation and distribution infrastructures using modern technologies
such as communication network, sensor network, power electronics, and control
technologies to manage the power grid more effectively, and to cope with such
complexities as fluctuating energy sources and consumption. The key objective of
this proposed project is the integration of information technologies and electric energy
generation and distribution technologies to design innovative means to manage
and control the electricity generation and distribution network. A novel hybrid
simulation laboratory will be built to test our research results in innovative designs
for efficient communication, computing and control of smart grids.
Project Coordinator:
Prof Victor On Kwok LI (HKU)
Protein-phosphoinositides Interactions in
Neuronal Signaling
Phosphoinositides ( PIPs ) are important signaling lipids that are distributed in various
cellular membranes. PIPs, via binding to proteins, actively regulate numerous cellular
processes. In this project, we will continue to investigate the structures and functions of
a series of protein-lipid interactions that are implicated in both normal functions as well as
the etiology of brain and heart muscle cells. We aim to elucidate the biochemical and
structural basis of the interactions between PIPs and these proteins and to uncover the
physiological significance of these newly identified protein-lipid interactions. The outcome of this project is expected to make
important contributions in understanding a number of human diseases including
neurodegenerative diseases and cancers.
Project Coordinator:
Prof Mingjie ZHANG (HKUST)
Self-Assembled Synthetic Ion Channels: Design,
Characterization and Biomedical Applications
Ion transport across membranes in cells is controlled by ion channel proteins.
Dysfunction of ion channels has been associated with many severe human diseases
such as cystic fibrosis, asthma, hypertension, epilepsy and myocardial infarction. Therefore,
developing drugs that modulate the functions of ion channels or regulate ion transport
have received significant attentions in pharmaceutical industry.
In our previous research work supported by RGC Competitive Earmarked Research Grant
(HKU7367/03M) and RGC Collaborative Research Fund (HKU 2/06C), we have
discovered a novel class of small molecules that self-assemble in the lipid membranes of
living cells into synthetic chloride channels, which increase chloride conductance in
human epithelial cells, modulate membrane potentials, and even can initiate relaxation of
smooth muscles.
In this proposed research, we plan to continue our inter-disciplinary collaborations
by combining the expertise in chemistry, physiology, cardiology and pharmacology
to discover synthetic ion channels that selectively transport small anions or cations
across biological membranes and explore their potential biomedical applications in
the treatment of human diseases associated with channel dysfunction, such as cystic
fibrosis, asthma, hypertension, and myocardial infarction.
Project Coordinator:
Prof Dan YANG (HKU)
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