A research team consisting of scientists from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Beijing Tiantan Hospital have uncovered the mutational mechanism of how a rare and deadly brain cancer –secondary glioblastoma (sGBM) – progresses from its less lethal type. The groundbreaking finding has provided a therapeutic lead which may develop into a new kind of treatment for chemo-resistant patients.
Among the 200 new cases of aggressive brain tumor recorded in Hong Kong each year by the Hospital Authority, about a quarter are lower-grade glioma (LGG) tumors. Starting off at nerve cells around the spine and brain, LGG is the early form of sGBM – one of the deadliest brain cancers known today. While sGBM can be treated with surgery or an oral chemotherapy drug called temozolomide (TMZ) – most of these malign tumors would mutate and return again with mortality rate reaching almost 100 per cent. Until now, the genomic features and evolution mechanism of the progression from LGG to sGBM remain elusive.
In their latest study, the team led by Prof. WANG Jiguang, Assistant Professor at HKUST’s Division of Life Scienceand Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, identified METex14 mutations at MET oncogene as a major culprit behind this aggressive progression. The team analyzed and integrated the genomic data of 188 sGBM patients – including newly collected samples from Chinese and South Korean patients, with a specially designed computational model and found that about 14% of the sampled sGBM patients displayed mutations in this gene.
Taking reference from this discovery, HKUST’s collaborators – Prof. JIANG Tao and his team from Beijing Neurosurgical Institute and Beijing Tiantan Hospital, identified a drug molecule named PLB-1001 that is able to penetrate the blood-brain barrier – a physiological structure that sees separation of blood circulation and extracellular fluid in the central nervous system – and reach the tumors in the brain. The molecule shows remarkable potency in selectively targeting sGBM tumors and those displaying further gene mutations.
The clinical trial of PLB-1001 on 18 recurrent patients at late cancer stage returned with a partial positive response in two patients. After being prescribed a daily dosage ranging from 50 to 300 mg at Beijing Tiantan Hospital, the two patients experienced significant tumor shrinkage, with relieved symptoms and little side effects, lasting for more than 12 weeks.
“More studies on PLB-1001 are needed to see if it can be used in conjunction with other drugs in achieving more persistent results,” said Prof Wang from HKUST. “But the outcome of this clinical trial is significant in a sense that it furthers the knowledge about sGBM treatment. Developing computational models on cancer evolution helps predict cancer cells’ future behavior and prioritize treatment options, while precision cancer medicine promises to tailor treatments according to personal cancer mutations, although the dynamic changes during cancer evolution add to its complication. sGBM tumor is high on our target list as it is one of the toughest tumors to treat.”
The findings were published in the top scientific journal Cell on November 29, 2018. This paper is a follow-up work of Prof. Wang’s three recent publications in Nature Genetics (Wang et al. 2016; Lee et al. 2017; Lee et al. 2018).
About The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (www.ust.hk) is a world-class research university that focuses on science, technology and business as well as humanities and social science. HKUST offers an international campus, and a holistic and interdisciplinary pedagogy to nurture well-rounded graduates with global vision, a strong entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking. HKUST attained the highest proportion of internationally excellent research work in the Research Assessment Exercise 2014 of Hong Kong’s University Grants Committee, and is ranked as the world’s best young university in Times Higher Education’s Young University Rankings 2018. Its graduates were ranked 16th worldwide and top in Greater China in Global University Employability Survey 2018.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Anita Lam
Tel: 2358 6313
Email: anitalam@ust.hk
Johnny Tam
Tel: 2358 8556
Email: johnnytam@ust.hk
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) School of Science signed a donation agreement with Space Tactics Commercial Holdings (Group) Co., Limited (Space Tactics). Space Tactics and pledged to donate HK$1,000,000 to HKUST in support of research related to data science.
Space Tactics is a multifaceted commercial property corporation based in the mainland China, offering through-chain service including planning, operation and investment. It also keeps up with trends and incorporates elements of culture, art and technology into its commercial property projects.
By exploring the synergy between data science and medical science, Space Tactics anticipates that the research can help improve the population health. With the donation from Space Tactics, HKUST is planning to set up a new laboratory on health data analytics supported by a robust team of research faculty. The new laboratory would also provide a platform for nurturing young researchers.
The donation agreement was signed by Prof. Wang Yang, HKUST Dean of Science and Mr. Alex Wong, Chairman of Space Tactics, at a ceremony held on November 19, 2018, witnessed by representatives from Space Tactics and HKUST.
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) School of Science signed a donation agreement with Foga Tech Limited (Foga Tech). Foga Tech pledged to donate HK$2,000,000 to HKUST to support research and training of postgraduate / postdoctoral students related to FinTech and blockchain.
Foga Tech Limited is a subsidiary of Forgame Holdings Limited, a listed company in Hong Kong and a leading company of mobile games and webgames in China which is speeding up the development of FinTech business.
With the financial support from Foga Tech Limited, HKUST School of Science is planning to set up a new laboratory on FinTech and crypto-technology. The two parties are eager to collaborate to pioneer new developments in FinTech, while facilitating HKUST students to grasp the chance to tap into the opportunity.
The agreement was signed by Prof. Wang Yang, HKUST Dean of Science and Mr. Wang Dongfeng, Chairman of Forgame, at a ceremony held on November 8, 2018, witnessed by representatives of Forgame Tech and HKUST.
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is enhancing its efforts in promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education in Hong Kong. With the support of its faculty, staff, students and alumni, HKUST has recently launched an interactive platform to help spark junior high students’ inquisitiveness and support local teachers in teaching STEM subjects in Hong Kong.
Why would different acidity levels result in different colors on a pH paper? Is it possible to make someone fall in love with you by implanting some chemical substance in his/her brain? Co-founded by Prof. King CHOW, Director of HKUST’s Center for the Development of the Gifted and Talented and Prof. WOO Kam-Tim, Founding Director of the Center for Global and Community Engagement (GCE) at HKUST School of Engineering, the new platform STEM@HKUST (https://stem.ust.hk/) not only offers materials that encourage young learners to tackle everyday problems with a scientific mind, it also seeks to help local teachers of instilling the true spirit behind STEM education – a critical mindset and problem-solving skills, into their students.
“Teaching STEM at school is often viewed as following the science textbooks to cover the science and technology subjects items by items, or practice in the extracurricular activities that utilize knowledge delivered in class,” said Prof. Chow. “But the gist of STEM education actually lies with the development of students’ mindset to observe, to analyze systematically, evaluate the validity and identifying feasible solution experimentally. When the breadth of knowledge is overwhelming in modern days, only when one acquires this mindset, one can move beyond knowledge and practice STEM to the best relevance of our everyday life.”
STEM@HKUST not only seeks to be a one-stop shop of information on STEM related events and competitions, it also showcases original videos produced by HKUST’s faculty, staff and students which explain everyday conundrums in a lively manner. Students can suggest topics or experiments they want to watch, secondary school teachers with queries on STEM related topics are also welcomed to raise questions through the website.
On the other hand, the team is also planning a mentorship program that could see HKUST undergraduate students observing STEM classes hosted by HKUST alumni in the teaching sector. So while the students – many of whom already had experiences tutoring youngsters, could learn more about lesson planning and presentation skills, they could also help the alumni teachers in developing STEM materials.
HKUST has always been a keen promoter of STEM education. While HKUST’s Academy for Bright Future Young Engineers organizes workshops and summer programs for primary and secondary school students on topics spanning electric vehicles, financial engineering and Facebook Chatbot, the University’s enrichment program for gifted learners offers opportunities to high potential students on developing their talent. GCE also provides training to students – including underprivileged and those with special education needs, who are invited to join its signature Underwater Robot Competition, to boost their confidence and interests in STEM.
About The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (www.ust.hk) is a world-class research university that focuses on science, technology and business as well as humanities and social science. HKUST offers an international campus, and a holistic and interdisciplinary pedagogy to nurture well-rounded graduates with global vision, a strong entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking. HKUST attained the highest proportion of internationally excellent research work in the Research Assessment Exercise 2014 of Hong Kong’s University Grants Committee, and is the world’s second in the latest QS’ Top 50 under 50 ranking. Its graduates were ranked 12th worldwide and top in Greater China in Global Employability University Survey 2017.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Anita Lam
Tel : 2358 6313
Email: anitalam@ust.hk
Jamie Wong
Tel : 3469 2512
Email : jamiewong@ust.hk
A research team led by Prof Mingjie Zhang, Kerry Holdings Professor of Science in the Division of Life Scienceat The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), has employed a novel biochemical reconstitution approach to show how proteins in postsynaptic density (PSD) are regulated in synapses to process and transmit brain signals, which may provide insights into further research on early detection and intervention of mental disorders such as autism and schizophrenia.
Synapses, the structure that allows neurons to pass signals to one another, are essential to neuronal function. Proper formation and responses to stimulation of synapses are fundamental to brain functions, but to understand what governs the formation and regulation of compartmentalized synaptic assemblies is difficult as the number of synapses in an entire brain is enormous and it is hard to find two identical synapses – there is no simple repeating structural unit within synapses.
In their recent study, the HKUST research team rebuilt – in solution and on membrane bilayers – a PSD-like structure and demonstrated the dynamic interactions between PSD proteins upon stimulation. The reconstituted PSD condensates also recaptured several key functional features of PSD in living neurons, which indicates that the highly condensed PSD assemblies in living neurons might autonomously form, stably exist, and dynamically change.
“Our biochemical reconstitution approach built a molecular platform that provides a likely answer to the mechanism of synapse-based cellular compartmentalization of neurons – a striking morphology that is critical for the functions of neurons,” said Dr Menglong Zeng, a post-doctoral researcher on Prof Zhang’s team and a co-author of the paper.
“The information derived from such a reconstitution system, together with experiments performed in living neurons, offer valuable insights into understanding the roles of the PSD proteins in synaptic formation and functions,” said Prof Zhang. “Although still vastly simplified, this well-defined biochemically traceable system provides a platform and a new paradigm for studying excitatory PSD formation and regulation as well as for elucidating mechanisms of a range of brain disorders caused by mutations of synaptic encoding genes in the future, which could ultimately help early detection and intervention of mental disorders.”
The findings were published in the top scientific journal Cell on Aug 2, 2018, which is the latest of a series of findings (e.g. a related paper published in Cell on Aug 25, 2016) from Prof Zhang’s lab on this fundamental topic of brain science. The laboratory of Prof Penger Tong, Head of Department of Physics at HKUST, contributed to this study by ascertaining the material properties of the PSD assembly in the condensed phase.
About The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (www.ust.hk) is a world-class research university that focuses on science, technology and business as well as humanities and social science. HKUST offers an international campus, and a holistic and interdisciplinary pedagogy to nurture well-rounded graduates with global vision, a strong entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking. HKUST attained the highest proportion of internationally excellent research work in the Research Assessment Exercise 2014 of Hong Kong’s University Grants Committee, and is ranked as the world’s best young university in Times Higher Education’s Young University Rankings 2018. Its graduates were ranked 12th worldwide and top in Greater China in Global Employability University Survey 2017.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Anita Lam
Tel : 2358 6313
Email: anitalam@ust.hk
Johnny Tam
Tel : 2358 8556
Email : johnnytam@ust.hk
Cells propagate by making copies of themselves through replicating their DNA genome, which are blueprints of their identities. Every full grown human came from a single fertilized egg cell whose genome is replicated approximately 10 million-billion times. What does the molecular machine that carries out this Herculean task look like? A research team led by scientists from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have determined the three dimensional structure of the DNA replication machinery at atomic resolution for the first time in history.
When DNA replication was first proposed based on its double helix structure over half a century ago, many believed that deciphering the machine that separates the two strands of DNA for replication is near to come. However, it turns out to be a much complicated task due to the large size, multi-partite nature (made up of three engines) and its flexibility of the machine.
Today, capitalizing on the Cryo-electron microscopy (CryoEM) technology, a team led by Prof Bik Tye, Senior Visiting Member of HKUST Jockey Club Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) (retired Visiting Professor of Life Science (LIFS)) at HKUST and Prof Yuanliang Zhai, former Research Assistant Professor (RAP) at HKUST who is now an Assistant Professor at the University of Hong Kong, in collaboration with Prof Ning Gao, Professor of Life Sciences at Peking University – have managed to decipher the function of eukaryotes’ DNA replication machine, Origin Recognition Complex (ORC), at unprecedented resolution. This structure explains how ORC is able to scan a sea of bases (DNA is made up of 4 bases, A, T, G, C) to select the correct sites programmed for DNA replication to begin.
It is believed that indiscriminate selection of too many sites may lead to rapid replication of the genome and therefore rapid cell divisions – a characteristic of cancer cells. In contrast, inefficient selection of sites resulting in sluggish cell divisions especially at critical junctures of human development, such as embryogenesis, may lead to developmental disorders. A three dimensional view of the DNA replication machine at 3Å resolution may help to identify better targets for cancer therapy such that synthetic chemicals can be custom made to fit the target. More importantly, structures help to fully understand the mechanistic functions of molecular machines and therefore the roots of diseases due to suboptimal functions of these machines.
These findings on ORC were published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature on 4 July 2018 - the latest of a series of articles published by the Tye (HKUST)/Gao (PKU) collaboration that has opened the door for deciphering the function of the DNA replication machine at unprecedented resolutions. The first, published in Nature 2015, determined the structure of the core engine of the DNA replication machine called the MCM complex. The second reported an open-ringed structure of the Cdt1–Mcm2–7 complex as a precursor of the MCM double hexamer, which was published in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology.
Prof Tye’s interest in the mechanisms for DNA replication dated from when she established her own laboratory at Cornell University as an Assistant Professor. Her group published the initial paper in 1984 that identified the MCM2-7 genes as key components in DNA replication. Dr Yuanliang Zhai, formerly worked in Prof Tye’s group as RAP at HKUST’s LIFS and a Junior Fellow of IAS is now Assistant Professor in School of Biological Sciences at the University of Hong Kong. The co-authors of this Nature paper also include Dr Wai Hei Lam, Post-doctoral fellow at HKUST’s LIFS and Dr Yongqian Zhao, RAP at HKUST’s LIFS and Junior Fellow of IAS.
About The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (www.ust.hk) is a world-class research university that focuses on science, technology and business as well as humanities and social science. HKUST offers an international campus, and a holistic and interdisciplinary pedagogy to nurture well-rounded graduates with global vision, a strong entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking. HKUST attained the highest proportion of internationally excellent research work in the Research Assessment Exercise 2014 of Hong Kong’s University Grants Committee, and is ranked as the world’s best young university in Times Higher Education’s Young University Rankings 2018. Its graduates were ranked 12th worldwide and top in Greater China in Global Employability University Survey 2017.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Anita Lam
Tel : 2358 6313
Email: anitalam@ust.hk
Johnny Tam
Tel : 2358 8556
Email : johnnytam@ust.hk
Staying ahead in an increasingly hyper-competitive global playing field requires sharp observation and analytical thinking, and with that, the ability to think critically and execute an experiment is equally important. To encourage Hong Kong’s budding science student to go beyond their textbooks and demonstrate their mastery of the biology concepts via their problem-solving skills, HKUST is hosting Hong Kong’s first biology competition for senior secondary students: The Hong Kong Joint-School Biology Olympiad (HKJSBO).
Led by HKUST Professor King L. Chow and professors from all eight universities, supported by a dozen secondary school principals and teachers, the HKJSBO sees the competition as a fantastic opportunity for Hong Kong students to apply their powers of observation and logic to reach scientifically correct conclusions. Prof Chow explains: “We sincerely believe that this Joint School Biology Olympiad exercise modelled closely on the International Biology Olympiad format will offer a great platform for our students to study biology in a lively way, and make rounds of tests a stimulating learning experience.” The HKJSBO also hopes the unique and challenging questions will indulge students in exploration and inspire them to pursue science careers.
The competition kicked off last year and attracted close to 500 students from 60 secondary schools; selected through two rounds of tests, four best students had won. What is the prize for the four winners? An unforgettable summer conducting biology research alongside a university professor, some book coupons and trophies. With this superb exercise of investigative science, Hong Kong and its students are all winners.
For details on the Hong Kong Joint-School Biology Olympiad, please click here.
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) School of Science signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ying Ding Education Technology Co., Ltd on establishing partnership for strengthening education research collaboration and development of blended learning initiatives.
Ying Ding Education Technology Co., Ltd (Ying Ding) is the first Chinese educational institution integrates education training with product development and network platform, which has played a leading role in the market in relation to national entrance examination and admission of higher education in Mainland China. The Chairman and CEO of the Ying Ding, Mr. Haitao Wang, is our HKUST EMBA alumnus.
A Joint Research Lab will be established with dedicated focus on education data analysis. Both parties are also endeavored to co-develop an innovative learning system in higher education and integrate the system with the traditional one to form a novel blended learning program. The MoU was signed by Prof. Yang Wang, HKUST Dean of Science, and Mr. Haitao Wang, Chairman and CEO of Ying Ding, at a ceremony held on 6 April 2018, witnessed by HKUST Executive Vice-President and Provost (EVPP) Prof. Wei Shyy, Ying Ding Chief Technical Officer Mr. Zhaohui Nie, as well as guests and faculty members from the Department of Mathematics and School of Business and Management (SBM).
A research team from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has discovered a more efficient and eco-friendly way to produce a family of chiral molecules, which would potentially bring down the cost of chiral medicine and make them more accessible to all.
Over half of the approved drugs now in use in the world are chiral, which treats a wide range of conditions including cardiovascular, respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases. Many chiral drugs are top sellers including high-cholesterol medicine Lipitor, and antibiotic Amoxicillin. But production of chiral drugs are difficult and costly, as the production process is complicated and requires rare and expensive raw materials in general.
Now, a team led by Prof Jianwei Sun, Associate Professor of the Department of Chemistry, discovered useful methods that could result in a more efficient and affordable production of the drugs.
“Chiral molecules contain subunits which are like ‘twin brothers’, they have extremely similar, mirror-like architecture but may exhibit distinct traits in our body,” said Prof Sun. “These ‘twin components’ are particularly hard to separate, and it is costly to get just the useful part out of the two, Chiral allenes represents an example of this type which were made by the very expensive chiral raw materials.”
Prof Sun’s team, however, has discovered that chiral allenes can be produced through organic catalysis using racemic propargylic alcohols, which is cheap and easy to come by, the catalyst is also recyclable and reusable without having to create metal wastes.
“Our method is not only more economical and friendly to the environment, such green catalysis could also have profound impact in health care as drug companies may be able to create and develop chiral drugs in a cheaper and more sustainable way,” said Prof Sun.
The findings were recently published in Nature Communications.
Chiral drugs have a fast growing market. The market size has jumped nearly four folds to around US$800 billion over the past decade and is still growing. Last year, more than two thirds of the newly developing drugs are made of chiral molecules.
About The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (www.ust.hk) is a world-class research university that focuses on science, technology and business as well as humanities and social science. HKUST offers an international campus, and a holistic and interdisciplinary pedagogy to nurture well-rounded graduates with global vision, a strong entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking. HKUST attained the highest proportion of internationally excellent research work in the Research Assessment Exercise 2014 of Hong Kong’s University Grants Committee, and is the world’s second in the latest QS’ Top 50 under 50 ranking. Its graduates were ranked 12th worldwide and top in Greater China in Global Employability University Survey 2017.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Anita Lam
Tel : 2358 6313
Email : anitalam@ust.hk
Alby Wan
Tel : 3469 2512
Email : albywan@ust.hk
An interdisciplinary team of scientists from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has discovered the mechanism of how human brains turn on and off neuronal activities, providing an important foundation to understand a wide range of neurologic conditions such as epilepsy, Parkinson's disease and ataxia-telangiectasia diseases.
“As with all things in life, healthy brain function depends on a balance of neuronal activities. We think of our brains as active - moving a leg and saying a word are all "active" events, but it is just as important that our brains be able to stop these actions,” said Cheng Aifang, a postgraduate student from the Division of Life Science who made the discovery under the guidance of the division’s head and Chair Professor Karl Herrup. “Yet it was not clear how our brains actually perform this go/stop function until now.”
The team discovered that the brain balances excitation and inhibition through regulating ATM and ATR – large kinase enzymes, levels. In pathological conditions, when ATM levels drop for example, ATR levels increase, vice versa. In addition, the team also discovered that ATM only regulates excitatory synaptic vesicles while ATR is responsible for only the inhibitory ones. This is achieved by controlling the movement of these tiny synaptic vesicles in the neuronal synapse – the gap between two neurons that regulates information flow in the brain.
“The discoveries are in the realm of basic research, but they have important implications for human disease” said Prof Karl Herrup, also director of the Super-Resolution Imaging Center (SRIC). “Epilepsy, for example, is a condition where one of the problems is that inhibition fails. As our findings would predict, humans with too little ATR have a problem with epilepsy, while people with ATM deficiency by contrast are ataxic - a reduced ability to make finely controlled movements and keep the proper E/I ratio. This means that there is a yin-yang relationship between ATM and ATR. And this is only the beginning. We believe that our work has potential relevance to a much broader range of neurologic conditions.”
The findings were published in the Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences earlier this month.
Utilizing super-resolution microscopy offered by at HKUST, the researchers were able to view the cellular location of the two kinases at ultra-high magnification. The custom designed super-resolution microscope with active stage locking provided the stability needed to obtain high-resolution images.
“One of the challenges we faced was that even at high magnification, all vesicles look pretty much alike,” said Prof Du Shengwang, physics professor and Associate Director of SRIC. “To provide differentiation, we developed a three-color version of our super-resolution system, which allowed the team to prove that ATM and ATR were never found on the same VAMP2-containing synaptic vesicle.”
About The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (www.ust.hk) is a world-class research university that focuses on science, technology and business as well as humanities and social science. HKUST offers an international campus, and a holistic and interdisciplinary pedagogy to nurture well-rounded graduates with global vision, a strong entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking. HKUST attained the highest proportion of internationally excellent research work in the Research Assessment Exercise 2014 of Hong Kong’s University Grants Committee, and is the world’s second in the latest QS’ Top 50 under 50 ranking. Its graduates were ranked 12th worldwide and top in Greater China in Global Employability University Survey 2017.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Anita Lam
Tel : 2358 6313
Email : anitalam@ust.hk
Etta Lai
Tel : 2358 6317
Email : ettalai@ust.hk