Annual Report 2015–16

CUHK researchers continued to make contributions in terms of theoretical discoveries and applications of community impact. Towards a Better Understanding of Alzheimer’s Disease Joint research conducted by Prof. Andrew Man-lok Chan of the School of Biomedical Sciences and others from Spain, Germany and the US uncovered a link between the tumour suppressor protein PTEN and Alzheimer’s disease, leading potentially to a new treatment for the neurodegenerative disease. Arresting Neurodegeneration The team led by Prof. H.Y. Edwin Chan of the School of Life Sciences discovered a drug candidate P3, a 13-amino acid peptide, which can neutralize toxic RNA and rescue neurodegeneration. The discovery can be developed into therapeutic usage for people who suffer from rare neuronal diseases. Breakthrough in Epilepsy Surgery A CUHK medical team comprising neurologists and surgeons found that combining intracranial electroencephalography and high frequency oscillations technology in complex epilepsy surgery can pinpoint the focal seizure origin and resection area, raising surgical effectiveness by 30%. Fecal Microbiota Transplantation CUHK gastroenterologists proved the overwhelming usefulness of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) in treating patients with severe C. difficile infection. Their study revealed that the new method registered a recovery rate of 85%, significantly higher than that of conventional antibiotic treatment. 中大研究人員繼續在理論和應用上 取得新發展，對社會大有裨益。 深入了解阿茲海默氏症 生物醫學學院陳文樂教授與來自西 班牙、德國和美國的專家合作研究， 發現阿茲海默氏症與可抑制癌腫瘤 生長的基因「PTEN」息息相關，這 項發現為治療這種腦神經退化疾病 開拓了嶄新的方向。 抑制神經退化 生命科學學院陳浩然教授領導的團 隊發現名為 P3 的多肽分子（由蛋白質 中十三個氨基酸肽合成），能有效抑 制有毒性的 RNA 分子，從而阻止神 經細胞退化。此發現可望協助開發新 藥物，治療罕見的神經系統疾病。 腦癇症手術新突破 中大神經科和外科專家組成的醫學 研究小組發現，在進行複雜的腦癇 症手術時，結合顱內腦電圖和高頻 信號檢測技術，能準確找出癲癇症 發作源頭，以確定手術切除範圍，令 手術成效提升三成。 腸道微生物移植 中大腸胃科專家利用「腸道微生物移 植」治療感染難辨梭菌的重症患者， 療效極為顯著。他們的研究顯示，這 種新療法的治癒率達八成五以上， 遠高於傳統抗生素治療的成效。 變未知為已知 Knowing the Unknown 28 香港中文大學年報 CUHK Annual Report 2015–2016