Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 2004

Prof. Chan Hsiao Chang, director of the centre, explained that β -defensin is the first molecule found in the epididymis that is involved in initiating sperm maturation. It can be used as a biomarker for the diagnosis or treatment of male infertility. The findings also provide a basis for the development of new contraceptive strategies. Studies on the detailed mechanisms of β - defensin's interactions w i th sperm membrane proteins are already in the pipeline and there are also plans to examine Bin1b expression in infertile patients. The Lalor Foundation in the US has awarded a Lalor Founda t i on Postdoctoral Fellowship to Mr . Zhou Chen-xi, a doctoral candidate under the supervision of Prof. Chan, to undertake one of the studies, entitled ‘The Role of Epididymis-specific Defensin, Bin1b, in Sperm Maturation'. HKIB Opens New Multipurpose Purification Pilot Plant A new biotechnology and plasma-derived therapeutics downstream pilot Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facility officially opened on 30th June 2004 at the Hong Kong Institute of Biotechnology (HKIB). The facility was designed and constructed by HKIB. The plant, funded by the Innovation and Technology Fund of the HKSAR government, serves as a multipurpose protein purification platform for the production of clinical grade materia w i t h b u i l t - in b i opha rmaceu t i cal manufacturing systems in accordance w i th Hong Kong and China GMP requirements. The new plant is designed to enhance the HK I B 's mu l t i f a c e t ed r e l a t i onsh i ps w i t h industry, academia, and the government. It also permits acceleration of basic and applied product research in partnership with industry. For instance the project's sponsor, Advantek Biologics Ltd. w i l l make use of the plant to develop plasma-derived therapeutics using technologies licensed from Amersham Biosciences, the New York Blood Center, and Asahi Kasei Pharma Corporation. Target markets for these products include a wide spectrum of diseases such as primary immune deficiency, lupus, Hepatitis B, and rabies. CUHK Consortium Leads Business Integration of RFID Technology for HK A research team from the University's Centre of Cyber Logistics (CCL) is spearheading a project w i t h l ead i ng i n d u s t ry partners to investigate the integration of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technologies in business chains for Hong Kong. The team comprises Prof. Waiman Cheung, director of CCL, Prof. Chu Sung- chi, and Prof. Timon Du f r om the Faculty of Business Administration. The project, officially launched on 19th October 2004, enjoys great support f r om the University's partners in the logistics, supply chain, and technology industries, as well as solutions providers and regulatory agencies. The Asia- Pacific Institute of Business at the University has also made significant contributions to the study. RFID technology, unlike the commonly used barcode scanning method, can identify products packed in high density within a tolerable time frame. The project addresses three topical areas: information infrastructure, business collaboration, and information security and privacy. Chinese University Bulletin Autumn • Winter 2004 72