Bulletin No. 2, 2009

46   Chinese University Bulletin No. 2, 2009 Research Groundbreaking Discovery in Semiconducting Nanowires L ed by Prof. Li Quan (left) of the Physics Department and Prof. Xu Jianbin (right) of the Electronic Engineering Department, a research team revealed for the first time intrinsic ferromagnetic characteristics in semiconducting nanowires in a study published in the online edition of an internationally-renowned journal, Nature Nanotechnology . The breakthrough opens up a new front in semiconductor physics and nanotechnology, and may be able to take computer technology to new heights with faster computing speed and larger data storage capacity, but less power consumption. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Grant Acquired to Combat Flu C UHK acquired a US$100,000 Grand Challenges Explorations grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for an innovative global health research project conducted by Prof. Chen Yangchao, assistant professor at the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics. In his project titled ‘Generation of influenza- resistant chicken by triple combination lentiviral vectormediated genetic modification’, Professor Chen proposes the development of a lentiviral vector that targets the entry and replication of influenza viruses in domestic chickens. His team plans to test the resistance of these genetically modified chickens to various influenza viruses in an effort to reduce the frequency of flu epidemics in poultry and, ultimately, in humans.