The University of Hong Kong (HKU) celebrated a successful showing at the 49th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva, securing a total of 42 awards, including two special grand prizes. The results were announced on April 19th.
 

Research teams from the Faculty of Architecture, Faculty of Dentistry, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Science, LKS Faculty of Medicine, and seven HKU Inno Laboratories: Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre, Centre for Virology, Vaccinology, and Therapeutics, Centre for Transformative Garment Production, Centre for Immunology & Infection, Centre for Oncology and Immunology, Centre for Translational Stem Cell Biology and Laboratory of Data Discovery for Health, established under the Hong Kong Government's InnoHK programme, earned two special grand prizes, two Gold Medals with Congratulations of the Jury, 15 Gold Medals, 19 Silver Medals, and four Bronze Medals with their innovative contributions.
 

Professor Max Shen, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research), expressed his pride in the researchers' achievements, stating, “This year marks the largest number of awards the University has received, so we are certainly gratified with the outcome and very proud indeed of our researchers. The University has also shown that we remain deeply committed to facilitating the transfer of our research findings into tangible applications in the market. Through our collaborations with global research and industry partners, we will continue to transform our pioneering research innovations into products that will bring a positive and sustainable impact to humanity.”
 

We proudly announce that our members have been awarded 4 Gold and 2 Silver medals in recognition of their exceptional contributions to the field.
 

• Professor Jiandong Huang, Chair Professor of Synthetic Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine
  
  1. Broad-Spectrum Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines (BSTCV) for Solid Tumors, developed by Professor Huang and Mr. Renhao Li, has been awarded a Gold Medal. BSTCV utilizes immunotherapy to make cancer cells appear foreign to our immune system, triggering a targeted response. It also modifies the tumor microenvironment to create a favorable condition for the immune system. This ready-to-use vaccine shows promise in treating various solid tumors, revolutionizing cancer treatment possibilities.
  
  2. The Dendritic-cell Targeting Phage-based Cancer Therapeutic Vaccine, developed by Professor Huang and Ms. Yee Man Au-Yeung, has been awarded a Silver Medal. This innovative vaccine utilizes a modified phage to activate the immune system to the presence of cancer cells and target the cancer cells, leading to promising results in preclinical models. It represents a significant advancement in more effective and affordable cancer treatments.

• Professor Pengtao Liu, Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine
  
  The Novel Cellular System for Anti-ageing Drug Discovery, developed by Professor Liu and other members from the Centre for Translational Stem Cell Biology, has been awarded a Gold Medal. This groundbreaking technology utilizes an ageing-emulated biosystem derived from human trophoblast stem cells (hTSCs). It effectively replicates key ageing hallmarks and establishes an accelerated ageing model, providing valuable insights for anti-ageing research. With the potential to advance our understanding of ageing and develop interventions, this system holds promise for improving human health and longevity.

• Professor Joshua Ho, Associate Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine
  
  Vitogram®, an AI-enabled Heart Health Monitoring System on a Mobile Device, has been awarded a Gold Medal with Congratulations of the jury. Developed by Professor Ho, this innovative technology transforms consumer-grade smartphones into digital stethoscopes using artificial intelligence (AI), bridging a critical gap in healthcare accessibility. With a user-friendly mobile app interface, individuals can easily digitize and analyze their heart sounds by placing their mobile device on their chest.

• Professor Alan Wong, Associate Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine
  
  CombiSEAL, a High-throughput Combinatorial Mutagenesis Platform for Protein Engineering, has been awarded a Silver Medal. Developed by Professor Wong and his research team, this innovative platform revolutionizes protein engineering by addressing throughput and scalability challenges. It enables simultaneous analysis of multiple amino acid mutations, incorporates next-generation sequencing, and utilizes artificial intelligence to enhance efficiency and cost-effectiveness. CombiSEAL represents a significant advancement in the field of protein engineering.

• Professor Zhiqin Chu, Assistant Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine
  
  The Scalable Wafer-scale Ultra-flat Ultra-flexible Diamond Membrane, developed by Professor Chu and other members in the team, has been awarded a Gold Medal. This groundbreaking invention enables the mass production of wafer-scale, ultra-flat, ultrathin, and ultra-flexible diamond membranes. The technology holds immense potential for next-generation applications in semiconductors, electronics, photonics, mechanics, thermics, acoustics, and quantum technologies.
   

Congratulations to all!

Please click here for the full list of HKU’s award-winning inventions.