KE Spotlight - Community Engagement - HKU Knowledge Exchange

Knowledge Exchange Awards 2016

The annual Faculty Knowledge Exchange (KE) Awards recognize each Faculty's outstanding KE accomplishment that has made demonstrable economic, social or cultural impacts to benefit the community, business/industry, or partner organizations. The KE Award (Non-Faculty Unit) was introduced with the same objective for the independent centres, institutes and units of the University. Results of the 2016 KE Awards are now available.

HKU "Lung Cancer Fighter Programme" for lung cancer patients and caregivers launches second phase recruitment

HKU Department of Social Work and Social Administration and the Hong Kong Cancer Fund launched the first phase "Lung Cancer Fighter Programme" in April. Ninety-seven pairs of lung cancer patients and family caregivers were recruited to participate in an eight-session psychosocial intervention course. Before taking the course, about 50% of both the patients and family caregivers were at-risk of developing anxiety and depression problems. After the course, over 80% of the patients reported improvement in general vitality and daily functioning, and nearly 80% of the caregivers and 70% of the patients experienced improvements in their overall quality of life. One-third of patients and more than a quarter of caregivers who were at-risk have fallen below the clinical cut off in mental health functioning. The organisers are recruiting participants for the second phase.

HKU chemists achieve breakthrough in antibacterial drug development

Dr Li Xuechen of the HKU Department of Chemistry and his research team, together with collaborators in the University of Central Florida and PolyU, reported in Nature Communications their studies on the synthesis of a newly discovered antibiotic Teixobactin, which can kill a range of pathogens without detectable resistance. The discovery underlies potential application and development of the next-generation teixobactin-based antibacterial drugs. The team was one of the fastest groups in the world to complete the chemical synthesis of teixobactin, from which they have also generated 10 teixobactin analogues with US provisional patent filed.

HKU disseminates findings on "Swallowing difficulties in visually impaired elderly population"

From December 2015 to June 2016, the research team of the HKU Swallowing Research Laboratory of the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences and The Hong Kong Society for the Blind (HKSB) Residential Services visited 4 branches of the HKSB Residential Services for the elderly. Out of a total of 398 residents in the four nursing homes, 61% of the residents were documented to have some level of swallowing difficulties. In terms of mealtime assistance, 70% of the residents required special food processing and 24% of the elderly required assistance with feeding during mealtimes. The research team conducted face-to-face clinical assessments with 109 elderly residents to further investigate the nature of their swallowing difficulties. Over 60% of the elderly with swallowing difficulties were not aware of their swallowing problems. The team recommends that additional care should be taken when looking after elderly people who are at high risk for swallowing difficulties, and regular education for the elderly and their carers be provided to increase their awareness in swallowing difficulties and the consequences.

HKU Phase 1 Clinical Trials Centre receives clinical drug trial accreditation by the China Food and Drug Administration

The HKU Phase 1 Clinical Trials Centre, together with seven clinical specialties of Queen Mary Hospital, received official accreditation by the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) for conducting clinical drug trials. The HKU centre is a clinical research facility of the HKU Clinical Trials Centre (HKU-CTC), specifically designed for performing phase 1, early phase and clinical pharmacology trials. This accreditation signifies that research data and results arising from clinical trials conducted in the centre and the seven clinical specialties will be accepted by the CFDA for evaluation of applications for drug registration in Mainland China, strengthening Hong Kong's special position as a hub for drug research and development in China and worldwide.

New ant species Paratopula bauhinia (Golden Tree Ant) described and named by HKU biologists

The Insect Biodiversity and Biogeography research group led by Dr Benoit Guénard at the HKU School of Biological Sciences has described and named a new species of ant from Hong Kong, Paratopula bauhinia, or the rare "Golden Tree Ant", in academic journal "Asian Myrmecology". This new ant species was found just a few hundred meters from HKU campus on the foothill of Lung Fu Shan Country Park during a night field course by Ms Ying Luo, a research assistant with the School of Biological Sciences. The ant is about 7mm long and golden in appearance. The new ant represents the 22nd ant species described from Hong Kong since 1858. The last one was in 2000. Descriptions of earlier species had to be dated back to 1928.

HKU to offer Zika screening to travellers returning from Rio de Janeiro Olympics

Ten public clinics under the Hospital Authority will increase capacity to provide consultation for Hong Kong delegates and travellers returning from Brazil. It is one of the government’s measures to prevent the spread of the Zika virus to Hong Kong when the Olympics and the Paralympics open in Rio de Janeiro. Thousands of Hongkongers - including athletes and supporting staff, tourists and the media - will visit Brazil in the coming two to three months. HKU microbiologist Professor Yuen Kwok-yung warned that around 80% of those infected with the disease could be silent carriers who never show symptoms. The Food and Health Bureau has commissioned HKU Department of Microbiologyto conduct tests for the virus for people returning from the Olympics without symptoms but felt worried about the risk of infection. HKU will offer them screening by taking urine and blood samples, with results expected in seven days.