Bulletin No. 1, 2019

Microrobots Detect Toxins in Minutes Low-Concentration Atropine Eye Drops Reduce Myopia Progression in Children New Light on Treating ‘Little Brain Diseases’ Investigating Familial Link with Parkinson’s Disease The Faculty of Medicine of CUHK, in collaboration with Sichuan University, the University of Hong Kong and McGill University in Canada, conducted the world’s first rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) family study to investigate the familial link and aggregation of the disease, and its influence on neurodegeneration. Results showed that the first-degree relatives of RBD patients are at three to five times greater risk of having Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other neurodegenerative diseases than those of healthy controls. A number of biomarkers were also identified. The findings would help future diagnosis and treatment. By tracking early PD symptoms, the intervention could be brought forward by 20 years. Prof. Edwin Chan (centre) of the School of Life Sciences and his research team discovered a small molecule compound termed Anti-polyQ Aggregation for Machado-Joseph-Associated Neurodegeneration (AQAMAN) which can dissociate toxic protein aggregates and restrain neurodegeneration. AQAMAN has the potential to be developed into medication which would help individuals suffering from spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) and other polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases. p Prof. Joseph Sung (left), Director of the Institute of Digestive Disease at CUHK, and Prof. Zhang Li (right), Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering at CUHK, are core members of the research team A collaborative research team from the Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Medicine developed fungi spore-inspired microrobots to detect Clostridium difficile ( C. difficile ) bacterial toxins. The microrobots are active sensors capable of detecting toxins accurately within 15 minutes. The current clinical test of the toxins normally takes one to two days. The new test tool could shorten the diagnosis time and allow hospitals to carry out infection management measures in the earliest possible time, which can effectively prevent the spread of bacteria. Several international studies suggested atropine eye drops could slow down myopic progression in children. However, the main concerns that deter the use of traditional atropine drops include the loss of focusing for near reading, and photophobia (excessive sensitivity to light) due to pupil dilation. The Faculty of Medicine conducted the world’s first randomised placebo-controlled, double- masked trial on low-concentration atropine eye drops to evaluate their efficacy and safety. Results showed low-concentration atropine eye drops could reduce myopic progression for school children by nearly 70%. R esearch 38 Chinese University Bulletin No.1, 2019