Newsletter No. 241

Tw oNew Award s toEncourag e Researc h Excellenc e S even young researchers from different faculties have been selected for the Young Researcher Award 2004, and seven postgraduate research students have won th e Award fo r th e Best Research Output b y Researc h Postgraduate Student s 2004 . The y are the firs t winner s o f the two newl y establishe d awar d schemes , an d w i ll receiv e their prize s a t a ceremony t o be held a t 4.00 p.m. o n 24th June 2004 i n LT1 , Esthe r Lee Building . Recipients of the Young Researcher Award 2004 Faculty Department Arts Modern Language s & Intercultural Studie s Prof. Pang Laikwa n Business Administratio n Management Prof. Kevin Au Education Educational Administratio n & Policy Prof. Tse Kwan Choi Engineering Systems Engineerin g & Engineerin g Management Prof. Zhang Shuzhon g Medicine Anatomical & Cellular Patholog y Prof. Anthony W.I. Lo Science Chemistry Prof. Xie Zuowei Social Scienc e Economics Prof. Meng Qingla i Recipients of the Award for the Best Research Output by Research Postgraduate Students 2004 Faculty Department Arts Fine Arts Ms. Xu Xiaodong Business Administratio n Accountancy Ms. Hu Bingbin g Education Educational Psycholog y Mr. Guo Bolian g Engineering Electronic Engineerin g Mr. Huang Yon g Medicine Chemical Patholog y Ms. Tsui Bo Yin Science Biology Dr. Wang Yaju n Social Scienc e Anthropology Ms. Chan Yuk Wah The awar d fo r th e Bes t Researc h Outpu t b y Researc h Postgraduate Student s i s based on nominations made by the faculties. Each winning candidate w i ll be awarde d a prize o f HK$25,000 i n cash. For the Young Researcher Award, candidate s mus t b e under ag e 40 an d each w i ll receiv e HK$ 100,000 i n the form o f a research grant. Th e awards are established to encourage and recognize quality research from young facult y members an d research students . Research Sponsorshi p fro m S.K. Yee Medica l Foundatio n The following thre e researc h project s undertake n b y facult y member s o f th e University hav e attracted funding support from the S.K. Yee Medical Foundation : • Catheter-base d Interventions for Patients with Symptomatic Peripheral Vascular Disease (HK$500, 000) Principal investigator: Prof . Josep h Y.S. Chan (Departmen t o f Medicine an d Therapeutics) • Radio-frequenc y Ablation for Better Quality of Life (HK$660,000) Principal investigator: Prof . Pau l S.F . Lee (Departmen t o f Diagnostic Radiolog y and Organ Imaging ) • Preventio n and Treatment of Ischaemic Stroke by Endovascular Stenting of Intracranial Vascular Stenosis (HK$500,000) Principal investigator: Mr . Simo n C.H . Yu (Department o f Diagnostic Radiolog y and Organ Imaging ) Qual igenics Diabete s Centre : Al ternat ive Technolog y Transfer Br i ng i n g Di rect Benefit s t o th e Publ i c A t universities , th e mos t commo n modes o f t echno l ogy transfe r involve the signing of agreements givin g industries an d busines s th e righ t to commercially exploi t certai n idea s o r inventions develope d by the researchers , the settin g u p o f spin-of f companie s when a technology i s mature, o r th e encouraging o f project researchers t o found thei r ow n enterprise . I n mos t cases, th e project s stil l hav e som e way t o go before they can be applie d in the market. Thus it may be difficult for th e public t o se e the relevance o f such transfers t o thei r lives . T h e U n i v e r s i t y r e c e n t l y established the Qualigenics Diabete s Centre, marking an 'unconventional ' mode o f technolog y transfer . Th e centre combines the research findings o f th e Facult y o f Medicin e w i t h th e professional an d clinical expertis e o f it s staff to provide medica l an d health car e services t o the Hong Kong public . Hong Kong' s firs t one-sto p medica l centre, th e Qualigeni c Diabete s Centr e is a collaboration between the Universit y and a healthcare company . I t uses a disease managemen t mode l t o restor e health to patients and prevent the disease from exacerbating. It provides affordabl e health care services to diabetics and high r i s k i n d i v i d u a l s , i n c l u d i n g r i s k assessment, lifestyl e adjustment , moo d therapy an d drug treatment . Centre chairman , Prof . Julian a C.N . Chan, wh o i s also a professo r i n th e D e p a r t m e n t o f M e d i c i n e a nd Therapeutics, bega n adop t i n g thi s approach t o diabete s treatmen t i n 1995 . 'We would evaluate the severity of illness and possibility o f complications throug h diagnosis an d risk prediction, and design a treatment plan based on the data. The n nurses, dieticians , physica l trainer s an d other professional s woul d formulat e a disease managemen t programme . Th e patient wo u l d b e taugh t ho w t o us e medications appropriatel y an d injec t i nsu l i n, ho w t o adjust hi s die t an d behaviour, an d how to complement thes e with exercise , i n orde r t o rais e hi s self - management abilit y an d meet treatmen t objectives,' explaine d Prof. Chan . 'The disease management model is a new concept to Hong Kong but it has been implemented fo r quit e som e tim e in Europe and the US. Disease managemen t is a process that prevents the deterioration o f patien t healt h throug h a series of procedures an d qualit y control, ' sh e continued. According to Prof. Chan, the centre's establishment ha s major implications . 'It is a novel way of technology transfer. The t r ea tment p r o g r amm e i s p l anned, developed an d teste d i n th e Universit y before bein g transferre d t o society , offering direc t benefit s t o users . Unlik e i n othe r t e c hno l og y transfers , ou r participation doe s not stop at formulatio n but i s extende d t o implementatio n an d quality contro l t o ensur e tha t patient s receive adequat e professional care. ' Th e centre's revenu e w i l l b e used to suppor t research for the benefit of the public. Th e centre can also serve as a training sit e fo r medical student s an d a one-stop healt h care platform. I f outcome s ar e positive , this diseas e managemen t mode l ca n b e extended to othe r chronic diseases . Those intereste d i n t r y i ng th e centre's service s ca n cal l th e centre' s ho t l i ne a t 82012380 o r v i s it www . qualigenics.com . Study Reveals Importance of Early Prevention of Obesity to Heart Disease H y pe r t en s i on, h i g h b l o o d fat , smoking, diabetes , stress , an d family histor y ar e all known risk factor s o f cardiovascula r disease . Researc h conducted by the Faculty o f Medicine o f the Universit y howeve r show s that , fo r no rmal adult s an d childre n w i t hou t clinical pathologica l problems , obesit y alone 一 even o f m i l d t o moderate degrees 一 can caus e grea t damag e t o cardiovascular function . A m u l t i - d i s c i p l i n a r y t e a m c omp r i s i ng s c i en t i s t s , d i e t i t i a n s , p h y s i o t h e r a p i s t s, a n d m e d i c a l professionals fro m th e Department s o f Medicine an d Therapeutics, Paediatrics , Chemical Pathology , an d Diagnosti c Radiology an d Imaging of the Universit y and th e Princ e o f Wale s Hospita l wa s f o rmed t o examin e th e relationshi p between obesity and early atherosclerosi s i n c h i l d r en . I t was f o u n d tha t th e endothelial functio n o f obes e childre n was impaire d b y 3 0 pe r cen t compare d w i t h n o r m a l c h i l d r e n , an d suc h abnormalities ar e similar t o those foun d in middle-aged smokers over 40 years o f age who hav e been smoking fo r ove r 1 0 years. Fortunately, the vascular functio n o f thes e childre n wa s foun d t o hav e improved significantly afte r a s h o r t i n t e r v e n t i o n p r o g r amme o f d i e t a ry mod i f i ca t i on an d guide d exercise fo r si x weeks . The results of the stud y were carrie d i n th e A p r i l issue o f Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular B i o l o g y , i n t h e International Journal of Obesity, an d in Circulation. The stud y p r o v i de s valuable informatio n an d gu i dan ce t o parents an d me d i c a l professionals, an d w i ll hav e significan t implications fo r public healt h promotio n against atheroscelerosis . The finding s wer e release d t o th e Hong Kon g publi c o n 27t h Ap r il i n th e Clinical Science s Building o f the Princ e of Wales Hospital . (From left) Prof Wo o Kam sang and Prof. Rita Sung at the press conference 2 No. 241 19th May 2004