Annual Report 2013–14

Phase I Clinical Trial Centre Commissioned by the Food and Health Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR Government, CUHK has established the Phase I Clinical Trial Centre (CTC) to strengthen the clinical research and development of new drugs in Hong Kong and Asia. Located at the Prince of Wales Hospital, the CTC, opened in December 2013, will carry out the following objectives: to become an internationally recognized centre for the development of new drugs by recruiting patients with special medical needs and healthy volunteers to participate in research; to boost the competitiveness of Hong Kong in drug research and development by fostering partnerships with academic institutions and the pharmaceutical industry in clinical research; and to promote knowledge transfer and education amongst health care professionals in early phase drug development in Hong Kong and the region. The development of a new drug has to undergo at least seven years of clinical trials in human subjects, requiring the participation of a large number of volunteers at different stages of research. Phase I clinical trial is the first and a critical step in this process that brings drugs from the laboratory to clinical application. It helps to determine the safest and most biologically effective dosage of new drugs, facilitating the large-scale evaluation in phase II and III trials. Centre for China Studies The Centre for China Studies held its formal opening ceremony on 27 January 2014. With Prof. David Faure as its director, the centre’s mission is to provide world- class training in China studies. Courses are taught in English and targets are primarily international students who want to pursue successful international careers involving China. The BA/BSSc programme in Contemporary China Studies was launched in September 2013 (For details, see p.12 of this report). It has been recruiting, with success, a highly qualified international faculty. They are distinguished scholars who teach and conduct research in a variety of disciplines, including anthropology, economics, fine arts, government and public administration, history, linguistics, management and marketing, psychology, sociology, and literature and film. At full strength, it will include a faculty of 10, 320 undergraduates, 65 MA students, and around 12 research postgraduate students. 一期臨床研究中心 中大獲特別行政區政府 食物及衞生局資助，成 立一期臨床研究中心， 加強本地及亞洲的藥 物研究及開發。開幕典 禮於2013年12月18日 舉行。 研究中心設於威爾斯親 王醫院，目標是成為國 際認可的新藥開發先導 中心，招募有特殊醫療 需要的病患及健康志願者 參與研究；與學術研究機 構及藥業界建立緊密夥伴 關係，提升香港的藥物科 研競爭力；以及促進香港 及亞洲區內有志於早期藥物 研究之醫療專業人士的知識交 流和持續教育。 新藥需要嚴格進行至少七年以上的人 體臨床試驗，才能獲批准正式使用。 一期臨床研究是過程中的第一步，是藥 物由實驗室研究進入正式臨床應用的 關鍵橋樑，可確定藥物最安全和 最有效的劑量，為實踐二、三期較大 型的臨床研究作好準備。 中國研究中心 中國研究中心於2014年1月27日開幕， 由科大衛教授擔任主任，致力開辦以 英語教授、並以國際學生為主要對象 的中國研究課程，為了加深學生對中 國的了解，協助他們將來於世界各地投 身與中國事務有關的工 作。於2013學年率先 開辦的有當代中國研究 文學士／社會科學學士 課程（課程內容見本年 報第12頁），由優秀 海外教員執教。中心全 面發展後，將擁有十位 教員。他們都是各自領 域的翹楚，研究和教學 的領域包括人類學、經 濟學、美術、政府與公 共行政、歷史、語言學、管 理和市場學，以及文學和電影。 錄取三百二十位本科生、六十五位文 學碩士生及約十二位研究生。 43