News

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has recently received a donation from the Dr Stanley Ho Medical Development Foundation (the Foundation) to establish the Brain and Mind Institute (BMI) in order to facilitate the interdisciplinary research on the causes and therapeutic strategies for different developmental disorders. 

The opening ceremony was held on 12 November 2015, officiated by Professor Joseph J Y Sung, Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK; Mr Patrick W. M. Huen, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Dr Stanley Ho Medical Development Foundation; Mr Ian Huen, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Dr Stanley Ho Medical Development Foundation; and Professor Patrick C M Wong, Stanley Ho Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and Director of BMI. 

Developmental disorders, including speech and language impairment, autism, dyslexia and other conditions affect an estimate of 15% of children from 3 to 17 years old in the US.  Most previous research either focused on molecular biology or patients’ behaviours to understand the mechanisms of these conditions and to develop diagnostic tools and therapies.  The new BMI is the first research institute in Hong Kong to consolidate the expertise of cognitive neuroscience, biomedical sciences, psychology, linguistics, otolaryngology, pediatrics, public health and other academic and clinical disciplines to conduct inter-disciplinary research to investigate these conditions.  From molecule to behavior, BMI will focus efforts on examining the causes and therapeutic strategies for different developmental disorders.

In the first phase of the research, BMI will target developmental cognitive neuroscience as the initial strategic focus and address four strategic areas: 1) optimizing language learning in early childhood, 2) defining the broad autism phenotype in Chinese societies, 3) enhancing treatments for dyslexia, and 4) identifying molecular mechanisms of neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration.  BMI also plans to strengthen strategic partnership with key universities worldwide. 

In his welcome address, Professor Joseph J Y Sung appreciated the support of the Foundation. He stated, ‘The establishment of the Brain and Mind Institute is made possible by the generous donation from the Dr Stanley Ho Medical Development Foundation.  The Foundation is a staunch supporter of CUHK.  Over the past decade, the Foundation has made magnificent donations to CUHK in support of various strategic areas, for example, the establishment of the Stanley Ho Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases in 2006, the establishment of the Stanley Ho Professorship of Respiratory Medicine in 2011 and the establishment of the Stanley Ho Big Data Decision Analytics Research Centre in 2013.’ 

Mr Ian Huen reasserted the Foundation’s commitment to improving medical services for society through the sponsorship of BMI.  He said, ‘The Foundation strongly believes that continuous improvement of medical and healthcare services is of vital importance for  society to achieve sustainable growth.  With the establishment of the Brain and Mind Institute at CUHK, and the concerned efforts of experts and professionals from different disciplines, we are confident that new solutions will be identified to treat language and communication disorders.’ 

Professor Patrick C M Wong said, ‘One reason that complex traits such as language and learning are complex is that they are results of interactions of brain systems at the macro-level, molecular pathways including genetic pathways, and behaviors occurring in the real world such as the classroom.  Thus, at BMI, we believe that we must examine the neuroscience of learning and cognition from molecular to behavior.’  He also thinks that “to describe the gift from the Dr Stanley Ho Medical Developmental Foundation as transformative is perhaps an understatement,” as he believes this gift from the Foundation will really put developmental and cognitive neuroscience in Hong Kong onto the world map.  

Following the opening ceremony of BMI, CUHK also held the ‘Inaugural Lecture of the Stanley Ho Professorship in Cognitive Neuroscience’ and the ‘International Symposium - Cognitive and Developmental Neuroscience: From Molecule to Behaviour’.  Professor Patrick C M Wong and other distinguished scholars from Oxford University, Stanford University, Northwestern University and the University of California, San Diego discussed the latest development in cognitive and developmental neuroscience. 

About Brain and Mind Institute (BMI)

BMI is an interdisciplinary research hub for conducting basic and translational work that targets investigations from molecule to behavior to solve complex problems concerning language, cognition, learning and their neural and neurogenetic underpinnings.  The ultimate goal of BMI is to enhance treatments of these conditions using molecular, cellular, behavioural and engineering therapies and solutions to optimize human development, enhance learning and improve quality of life. 

About Professor Patrick C M Wong

After undergraduate and postgraduate training in linguistics and cognitive psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, Professor Patrick C M Wong completed a postdoctoral fellowship in neuroscience at the University of Chicago Medical School in 2003.  He then joined Northwestern University until 2013 when he moved to The Chinese University of Hong Kong where he now serves as professor in the Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages and the founding director of the Brain and Mind Institute.  As an eminent cognitive neuroscientist, linguist, and speech therapist, Professor Wong’s research covers a range of basic and translational issues concerning the neural basis and disorders of language and music.  He is the inaugural occupant of the Stanley Ho Professorship in Cognitive Neuroscience.

(Source: Communications and Public Relations Office, The Chinese University of Hong Kong)