Bulletin Number Four 1985

Research Projects in Science Members o f the Science Departments are actively engaged in research ， and collaborative research both within and without the University is encouraged. The following are descriptions o f some o f the research currently undertaken by them ， as well as the recently launched interdisciplinary projects on biotechnology. ( 1 ) Research P ro jects on B io te c h n o log y What is Biotechnology? W.K.K. Ho Biotechnology is a new word but it has a long history. The use o f microorganisms to make beer, wine, soya sauce and cheese is as old as civilization. Newer fer mentations for antibiotics, amino acids and vitamins are already major industries. Enzymes are used to clot m ilk, solubilize proteins, break down starch or produce fructose for soft drinks. However, all these uses have relied on the lucky discovery o f natural enzymes or microorganisms w ith the desired pro perties. The current excitment concerns a collection o f techniques entitled genetic engineering, by which one can isolate a particular gene from animals, plants or microorganisms (cloning) and quickly deter mine the exact sequence o f nucleotides in the DNA o f which it is composed. It is this sequence which instructs the cell to make a particular protein or enzyme. Moreover, this DNA can be manipulated in a test tube and inserted (transformed) into a simple microorganism to allow it to make (express) the foreign protein. Therefore we can now construct new microorganisms o f use to man. Protein engineering is a very recent branch o f genetic engineering. We know the complete three- dimensional structure o f a few enzymes and can use computer graphics to model the effect o f replacing a particular amino acid residue w ith another. I f we clone and sequence the gene for this enzyme we can read the nucleotide sequence surrounding the triplet that encodes that amino acid. A small piece o f DNA (16-18 nucleotides) containing a changed triplet is synthesized chemically, and this is then stitched into the gene in place o f the natural fragment. When this mutant gene is transformed back into the host microorganism, it w ill make the desired mutant protein. In this way we can design, construct and test new enzymes that have never existed in nature. Moreover, other techniques o f genetic engineering allow them to be expressed in high yield. We are therefore on the threshold o f a new era o f biological engineering. Genetic engineering and protein engineering are only some o f the skills needed for biotechnology. The microbial physiologist must work out the correct growth conditions for the new microorganism; the protein chemist must devise ways to purify and assay the new enzymes; the fermentation technologist must develop techniques applicable on a large scale and the chemical engineer must design and cost the appropriate plant. Hence biotechnology is truly interdisciplinary. What are the impacts o f this technological revolution? The ability to make any human protein cheaply provides new opportunities in medicine: synthetic interferons to prevent viral diseases and possibly cancer; safe synthetic vaccines against malaria, hepatitis and other scourges o f mankind; new hormones; and powerful new tools for medical diagnosis. Moreover, we can extend many o f these principles to preventing or curing animal diseases, thereby increasing the farmer's productivity. In the longer term, the impact on agriculture may be most significant, through a new line o f attack on plant diseases and construction o f improved crop plants — possibly even entirely new varieties. But there is also an impact on many other industries. Agricultural wastes could be converted to alcohol, bulk chemicals, polymers or food. Biosensors w ill combine the exquisite substrate specificity o f enzymes w ith the novel electronic devices that are now becoming available — in this way we may teach computers to taste and smell! With these tremendous economic implications, the annual world-wide market for biotechnology products has been estimated to be in the region o f twenty-seven billion U.S. dollars by the year 1990. O f this total, agriculture, food and medicine w ill account for eighteen billion. But what does this mean for Hong Kong? A t the moment very little because Hong Kong neither has the industry nor the proper resources in promoting developments in this direction. Does this mean that we shall sit back and let the opportunity go? Clearly no, because Hong Kong stands to lose both financially and scientifically i f we do nothing to catch up. In this respect, the University can play an important role by taking the initiative to introduce Biotechnology to Hong Kong and to utilize its research facilities to show the oppor­ tunities available in Biotechnology to the local industrial community. With this concerted effort, biotechnology may perhaps become a major industry in Hong Kong in the nineties. 20 RECENT DEVELOPMENTS