Collaboration in action at LMU-China Academic Network Forum

Prof. Renee Chan (1st left), Prof. Billy Ng (2nd left), and Prof. Albrecht von Brunn (middle) host a workshop at the LMU-ChAN Scientific Forum.

As a member university of the LMU-China Academic Network (LMU-ChAN) formed by Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich (LMU Munich), CUHK took part in the LMU-ChAN Scientific Forum held at Fudan University in Shanghai in September 2024. The event brought together over 100 representatives from 16 universities across China and beyond to share academic achievements and deepen research cooperation.

During the forum, Prof. Renee Chan of the Department of Paediatrics and Prof. Billy Ng of the School of Pharmacy hosted a workshop titled ‘A Forward-looking Approach Spanning Virology, Immunology, Epidemiology, Paediatric Infections, and Biomedical Engineering’ with Prof. Albrecht von Brunn of the Max von Pettenkofer Institute and Gene Center at LMU Munich. Prof. Chan presented her groundbreaking research on the pathogenesis of virus infections using disease-specific human respiratory epithelial cell models, while Prof. Ng shared his insights on small-molecule drug discovery from a medicinal chemist’s perspective. The panel discussions also highlighted strategies for drug discovery, modification, and delivery to combat human diseases.

LMU-ChAN was formed by LMU Munich, a leading research university in Germany, in 2015 to promote synergies with top Chinese universities . CUHK joined the network in 2016 with an initial focus on medicine. It became an Anchor Partner in 2017, facilitating the development of a more comprehensive partnership between the two universities.