Bulletin Number Four 1985

De pa rtmen ta l Pro files Depa r tmen t o f Bi ochemi s t ry Biochemistry is a branch o f science that studies the nature o f the chemical compounds and processes in living organisms. It is not a simple hybridization o f Biology and Chemistry. In fact, what makes Bio chemistry unique is its emphasis on an integrative multidisciplinary approach in its quest to understand the mystery o f life. Over the years ， it has become the very language basic to the understanding o f the phenomena in biological and medical sciences. In addition to its close ties to clinical medicine ， Biochemistry has also found its way into many agricultural and industrial applications, including biotechnology and genetic engineering. The Department o f Biochemistry at The Chinese University o f Hong Kong was established in 1970 as a department in the Faculty o f Science for the purpose o f advancing and promoting the study o f and research in all branches o f the science o f Biochemistry. With the establishment o f the Medical School at this University in 1981 ， the Depart ment also undertook the challenging task o f teaching Biochemistry to medical students. The formal objec tives o f the Department are education, research and community service. Education The Department organizes both undergraduate (BSc and preclinical Biochemistry) and postgraduate (MPhil and PhD) programmes o f studies. It serves over 700 students each year including about 100 major Biochemistry undergraduates and 200 pre clinical medical students. Throughout its existence, the Department aims at producing not just bio chemists but educated people. Thus, in addition to formal lectures and laboratory sessions which aim to motivate students to grasp the basic principles o f Biochemistry, its curriculum stresses seminars, tutorials and individually-supervised research projects where frank communication and informal discussions between students and staff are encouraged. Biochemistry offers two different sets o f under graduate courses specifically designed to suit the different requirements and prospects o f the science and medical students. For the science students, the four-year programme covers the principles o f basic, analytical and physical Biochemistry. Special topics offered include: proteins and enzymes, clinical bio­ chemistry, endocrinology, carbohydrates and lipids, neurochemistry and radioisotope application in biological sciences. The preclinical Biochemistry course, on the other hand, spans over two years and puts strong emphasis on the regulation o f metabolism and its relevance to human physiology. The Department has one o f the largest post­ graduate enrolment in the Science Faculty. The MPhil programme was initiated in 1972 and has since then produced over fifty MPhil graduates. The PhD programme was started in 1981 and it expects to have the first batch o f PhD graduates this year. Both the MPhil and PhD programmes o f studies are research-oriented, although depending on their background, candidates are also required to take certain courses. Each year ， the candidate submits an oral or written report on the progress o f his research and in addition presents a seminar on an approved topic. In the final year o f study, a candidate must submit a thesis to his thesis committee which w ill make an overall assessment o f the candidate's work for the award o f the degree. Currently, there are sixteen MPhil and PhD students. Research Broadly speaking, the Department is actively engaged in six major areas o f biochemical research: hormones, Chinese medicinal materials, neuro chemistry, membrane transport, immunochemistry and cancer research. More often than not, a staff member would be involved in more than one area o f research. This eclectic approach towards research in the Department helps it to keep abreast o f the research frontier in Biochemistry and to improve the quality o f teaching. Detailed research projects are listed in Table I . A wide range o f standard biochemical equip ment is available for use in research in the Depart ment. These include: high performance liquid chro- matograph, gas chromatograph, spectrophotometer, fluorometer, ultracentrifuge, amino acid analyzer, electrophoretic apparatus, liquid scintillation counter and γ -counter. Recently, the Department has also RECENT DEVELOPMENTS 9