School of Biomedical Sciences cordially invites you to join the following Post-doctoral Fellow (PDF) Seminar:

Date: 20 May 2025 (Tuesday)
Time: 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Venue: Seminar Room 2, G/F, Laboratory Block, 21 Sassoon Road
Host: Dr. Haifeng Fu

Light refreshments will be served. Please register via the below link by 19 May 2025 (Monday):
Registration: https://hku.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_blwiFZJSJPfeqMu

Identifying genetic vulnerabilities in patient-derived gastric cancer organoids by CRISPR-Cas9 screening
Dr. Chu Zhang (Post-doctoral Fellow)
[Supervisor: Professor Alan Wong]

Identifying vulnerabilities across diverse tumour subtypes for precision therapy remains challenging. While CRISPR screens help uncover cancer targets, traditional two-dimensional (2D) cultures fail to mimic their vivo tumour environment. Here, we establish a CRISPR dropout screening pipeline using patients-derived gastric cancer organoids. Our organoid-based sub-pool screens reveal both shared and subtype-specific vulnerabilities. Expanding to genome-wide screens, we identify key targets that are not detected in 2D or 3D spheroid cultures. Genetic and pharmacological inhibition of these targets impair organoid growth and tumour formation in vivo. Our findings demonstrate the advantages of organoid-based CRISPR screening for discovering clinically actionable targets, advancing precision oncology strategies.

In vitro generation of joint progenitor cells for articular cartilage repair
Dr. Aqsa Rubab (Post-doctoral Fellow)
[Supervisor: Professor Danny Chan]

Articular cartilage (AC) facilitates the frictionless motion of synovial joints. Due to limited number of AC progenitor cells in adults, once damaged, repair is very poor leading to chronic joint diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA). Several progenitor cell types have been assessed in clinical trials for therapeutic repairs, but efficiency is limited, greatly due to the nature of the cells used. The study aims to assess the potential of recently identified joint progenitor cells (JPCs) from development, marked with Lgr5 and Col22a1, towards AC repair. We used a defined 2-stage in vitro differentiation protocol, first inducing the differentiation of human ESCs, equipped with immune-cloaking and FailSafe^TM system, along the mesoderm lineage, followed by differentiation toward JPCs expressing Lgr5 and/or Col22a1.  These in vitro generated human JPCs were functionally tested to repair an AC defect that showed a superior outcome compared with undifferentiated stem cells, MSCs and early differentiated cells from mesoderm lineage. Importantly, these progenitor cells differentiate in situ into chondrocytes and regenerate the articular surface layer integrating with the host tissue.

All are welcome.