CUHK eNews (Sep 2020) | Office of Academic Links


CUHK eNews \| Sep 2020

Editor’s message

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic nine months ago, institutions of higher education across the globe have had to contend with challenges that are unparalleled in our recent history.

Until this year, a major focus of our efforts was building bridges between partners through in-person meetings, delegation visits and conferences. Today, however, the travel restrictions imposed because of COVID-19 have hindered our researchers from establishing or maintaining the connections they have made around the world.

As these collaborations remain as vitally important as ever, we will continue to explore online platforms such as this e-newsletter that enable us to stay connected with our peers in the international community. We hope you find the stories in this newsletter inspirational.

Shally Fan

Director of Academic Links

FEATURE Stories

Professor Dennis Lo Receives Renowned Breakthrough Prize

Professor Dennis Lo is awarded The 2021 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, an honour renowned as the ‘Oscars of Science’, for discovering that fetal DNA is present in maternal blood and can be used for the prenatal testing of Down syndrome and multiple genetic diseases.

It Takes Guts to Fight COVID-19

CU Medicine is the first in the world to discover a series of good bacteria are missing in the gut of patients with COVID-19. The team has developed a probiotic formula that will help to increase the good bacteria in the human gut, adding to our arsenal in the fight against the coronavirus.

Other Stories

Bringing a Better, Greener Battery to Market

The Faculty of Engineering creates a safer, cheaper and more environmentally friendly battery as a substitute for commercial lithium ion battery. This breakthrough is made possible by utilising an ingredient that is commonly found in skin care creams.

Discovery on Diabetes from CU Medicine-University of Sydney Collaboration

A joint large cohort study with The University of Sydney reveals that shortened DNA telomere length is a useful biomarker for cardiovascular disease among type 2 diabetes patients.

APRU Virtual Student Exchange: International Education Unbounded

The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed travel restrictions across the world, bringing a halt to study abroad worldwide. CUHK initiated the Virtual Student Exchange Program of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities so that students could continue their international education and experience without leaving home.

AI Unlocks Potentials for Genetic Analysis

A novel approach to study the regulation of gene expression in cells using artificial intelligence technologies in machine learning and natural language processing may shed light on the causes of cancers and their treatment.

Methane a Culprit of Reducing Climatic Cooling Effects of Mangroves

An international study led by CUHK in collaboration with UC Berkeley and Stanford University has found that methane emissions from subtropical estuarine mangroves can reduce the mangroves’ climatic cooling effects by more than half, over a period of 20 years.

Global Award for CUHK Deaf Education Programme

A programme to help deaf and hard of hearing children learn in regular classroom settings has received the Zero Project 2020 – Innovative Practice Award on Education for its distinguished contributions towards mainstream inclusive education for the deaf.

Concerning Connection between COVID-19 and Liver Injuries

A study shows that COVID-19 patients with liver injuries are eight times more likely to be admitted to an intensive care unit, require invasive mechanical ventilation or, even lose their lives. This calls for better treatment practices, particularly for patients in Asia Pacific where liver diseases are most prevalent.

Papers by Student Trio Most Cited in Urban Climate

Journal papers by three CUHK PhD students are recognised as among ‘the most cited articles since 2017’ by a leading journal, Urban Climate. This demonstrates that urban climate studies conducted by Hong Kong researchers have great reference value for the global academic community.

UPDATES ON CUHK

Appointments of Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Science

CUHK is delighted to announce the appointments of Professor Mai-har Sham as Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Professor Chunshan Song as Dean of the Faculty of Science.

CUHK’s Excellence Recognised Globally and Locally

CUHK ranks 56th in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2021 and tops the list in Hong Kong in the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2020. It also ranks 1st in ‘satisfaction with overall learning environment’ by its students in the recently released University Grants Committee University Accountability Agreement.