Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 1995

Control stepsize ： 1pm SNP (5mM, 1h) Fig. 4 T h e b o t t om r o w i n Fig. 4 s h o ws a macrophage in the throes of death wh e n its time has come. The cell is see n to develop outgrowths c a l l e d b l e b bs w h i c h are characteristic o f programmed cell death. Researc h Finding s Have Significan t Application s The major difficulty encountered in the research p r o c e ss was h o w t o e x t r a ct a nd c u l t u re macrophage cells for intensive study. Prof. Lee and Dr. Ko ng overcame this b y using cells extracted f r om the abdomens o f experiment animals, and by successfully cloning such cells in test tubes. Once the complicated procedures involved i n signal t r ansduc t i on a nd cell activity are elucidated, scientists shall be able t o devise chemicals or drugs to activate macrophage cells, thereby strengthening th e immune systems o f human beings. Dr. S.K. Kong obtained his Ph.D. degree in 1989 from the Department of Biochemistry at CUHK. After post- doctorate training, he joined the department as lecturer in 1991. His research interests lie mainly in the use of fluorescence and image analysis to elucidate the biochemical pathways during macrophage activation and apoptosis. Prof. Lee Cheuk-yu received his Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia in Canada. He was postdoctoral fellow and later assistant professor at the New England Institute, USA, before joining the Department of Biochemistry at the University as lecturer in 1972. He was promoted to professorship in January 1985. Research 23