Bulletin Number Four 1985

set up a cell culture laboratory and a high radiation laboratory. The Department is keen to promote intra- and inter-departmental collaborative research, so as to make fu ll use o f the lim ited scientific resources and manpower available. The research on the biochemical pharmacology o f Chinese medicinal materials is an example o f such collaborative efforts; the work on the effect o f steroidal hormones on hepatic function is another. In 1984-1985 ， no less than twenty jo in t papers have been published which are co-authored by members o f the Department o f Biochemistry and those o f the Departments o f Anatomy, Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacology, Physics and Psychiatry o f The Chinese University and o f the Departments o f Chemistry and Microbiology o f the University o f Hong Kong. A t the international level ， the Depart ment is one o f the seven collaborative research centres supported by the World Health Organization under the Plant Task Force o f the Special Programme o f Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction. A summary o f the results o f this international collaborative project has been reported recently at a symposium on ‘The Develop ment o f New Fe rtility Regulating Agents from Plants' held at this University on 25th January, 1985. Over a hundred local and overseas scientists participated in this international conference. Over the years, the Department o f Biochemistry has been very fortunate in soliciting generous financial support for its research activities. Most recently, the Department received an award o f HK$2,385,000 from the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club to support its research project on amino acid transport in horse red blood cells. A grant o f US$99,500 was also obtained from the World Health Organization to support the study o f an tife rtility drugs. The Croucher Foundation has awarded a three-year grant o f HK$300,000 to the Departments o f Biochemistry and Medicine for work on astrocyte membrane function. The Lee Foundation (Singapore), granted HK$436,000 over three years to support the project on endogenous opiates. Other granting bodies which have made awards to the Department in 1984-85 include the Alberta Cancer Board, the Population Council, the Cancer Research Campaign, the Ford Foundation, and the World Health Foundation (H.K.). Apart from these granting agencies, the private sector has also contributed substantially towards the research funding. The benefactors include Kevin Hsu, Esq., the Takshing Investment Co., Ltd. and the Hopeh and Shangtung Natives (Hong Kong) Association Ltd. Sincere thanks are due to these benefactors for their very generous support. Profile o f Biochemistry Students The official student body for Biochemistry students, the Biochemistry Society, was founded in 1973. Its official publication ， the Bridge, has been in circulation since 1975. The latest issue is a special report on the 'Career Workshop for Biochemistry Graduates', which was held in November 1984 by the Biochemistry Society. In addition to Bridge, the Biochemistry Society also publishes a newsletter (小 橋 ） to keep the Biochemistry students and staff abreast o f its activities. The Biochemistry Society is a very active association and it organizes many academic (exhi­ bition, lecture, seminar, research project) as well as social (sports competition, picnic, camping, social gathering) activities for its members. Many o f these activities also involve staff participation. For instance, no one in the Biochemistry Department would like to miss the annual events including the Biochemistry dinner, the Biochemistry picnic and the Biochemistry Shield Competitions. The Biochemistry Society also helps to organize, in conjunction w ith staff in the Department, voluntary summer research projects for those undergraduates who are interested in research. These informal staff-student gatherings in the Depart ment, during the fifteen years o f its existence, have successfully fostered the spirit o f 'Biochemistry Fraternity', which it believes is the key to higher effectiveness in teaching and learning. Career o f Biochemistry Graduates Over the past five years, about one-third o f the Department's graduates chose to further their studies after obtaining the first degree. While most o f them have enroled in the Department's postgraduate pro grammes, some have received scholarships to continue their postgraduate work abroad. Our record shows that at this very moment, there are over ten Bio chemistry graduates working towards their PhD degree in universities in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Canada and Germany. It is interesting to note that o f those graduates who elected to seek employment, about half entered the business sector. In the early days, a high percentage o f Biochemistry students became teachers when they graduated, but the number o f graduates opting for a career in education has been steadily declining since 1980. Future Developments I f one were to identify an area that is advancing rapidly in modem Biochemistry, it would undoubtedly be the area o f genetic engineering. The impact o f research in gene manipulation is fe lt in diverse fields 10 RECENT DEVELOPMENTS