Awardees of the President’s Awards for Outstanding Achievement 2025 from the ABCT Department

Congratulations to the awardees of the President’s Awards for Outstanding Achievement 2025 from the ABCT Department: Individual Award (Knowledge Transfer: Industry): Prof. Zheng Zijian Team Award (Teaching): Led by Prof. Terence Lee, with team members: Prof. Clarence Wong, Prof. Mu Quanhua, Dr. Chartia Cheung, Dr. Clare Yan, and Dr. Wong Wai-ting. The President’s Awards recognize Prof. Zheng Zijian’s significant contributions and impact on knowledge transfer, Prof. Lee and his team’s remarkable efforts in instilling an innovative mindset in our students. Their guidance led to the students’ outstanding performance at the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition in Paris, earning a Silver Medal and an Impact Grant in 2023, followed by a Gold Medal and a Top 10 Undergraduate Team ranking worldwide in 2024. Their unwavering dedication to excellence in knowledge transfer and teaching is truly remarkable. Please join us in extending our warmest congratulations to all our distinguished awardees from ABCT on their exceptional achievements! Source: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/fs/news-and-events/awards-and-achievements/2026/the-presidents-awards-for-outstanding-achievement-2025/

PolyU ABCT PhD Student’s Green Startup Selected for Future Ecopreneur Programme

PolyU ABCT’s PhD student Ng Cheuk Hei (Jackie) and his start-up ReCherish Beans have been selected for the Future Ecopreneur Programme — a pioneering initiative that transforms coffee cherry by-products (the discarded pulp and skin from coffee production) into a new type of functional tea. This tea retains coffee’s energizing and antioxidant properties while repurposing waste that would otherwise go to landfills (reducing greenhouse gas emissions) and boosting coffee farmers’ incomes. Supported by Hang Seng Bank, co-organized by Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) and Wofoo Social Enterprises, the programme empowers local youth to drive sustainability and Greentech innovation — and Jackie’s project is a standout example of turning “trash” into high-value, eco-friendly products.  Join us in celebrating Jackie’s achievement — may his journey inspire more young talents to turn green ideas into action!  Learn more via media coverage: Ming Pao Daily News: https://polyu.me/4964jUJ Headline Daily: https://polyu.me/3Jsg51r Bastille Post: https://polyu.me/4hSlUSs *Photos from: Headline Daily  

Prof Wong Wai-yeung Raymond Elected as New Member of The Hong Kong Academy of Sciences

We are delighted to announce that Prof. Wong Wai-yeung, Raymond — Associate Director of the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy, Chair Professor of Chemical Technology, and Clarea Au Professor in Energy — has been elected as a new member of The Hong Kong Academy of Sciences, joining the five distinguished new members of this term. This honour is a testament to his extraordinary academic achievements in scientific research and his profound contributions to social progress.  A preeminent scholar dedicated to the field of chemistry, Prof. Wong has long focused on the design and synthesis of molecular functional materials and one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) metallopolymers with photofunctional properties and energy applications. With a steadfast commitment to addressing global energy needs of the future, he and his research team have spared no effort in advancing sustainable energy development and upgrading energy conversion technologies, devoting themselves to building a cleaner and more resilient future for humanity.  We extend our warmest and most sincere congratulations to Prof. Wong on this well-deserved recognition!  Source: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/fs/news-and-events/awards-and-achievements/2025/prof-wong-wai-yeung-raymond-was-elected-as-the-new-member-of-the-hong-kong-academy-of-sciences/   Online coverage: Bauhinia 港科院新增5院士 盧煜明盼鞏固港創科地位 12 December 2025 Wen Wei Po 港科院新增5院士 盧煜明盼鞏固港創科地位 11 December 2025 Bastille Post 港科院新增五位院士 涵蓋數學地理醫學化學及神經科學領域 11 December 2025  

PolyU ABCT 2025 Outstanding Alumni Scholarly and Professional Excellence

PolyU ABCT 2025 Outstanding Alumni: Scholarly & Professional Excellence The Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s ABCT Department proudly honours two exceptional graduates—Prof. LEE Wang Fat (Scholarly Achievement) and Mr. CHENG Foon Yu (Professional Achievement)—for their impactful contributions to academia, healthcare, and community. Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award of Department of ABCT 2025 - Scholarly Achievement Prof. LEE Wang Fat (PolyU ABCT BSc (Hons) 2003, PhD 2008) A leader in environmental biochemistry, Prof. Lee (HKMU Professor cum Associate Dean) holds a perfect 4.0 PolyU undergrad GPA. He secured over HK$35M RGC research grants, published 35+ recent Q1 SCI papers, and founded HK/GBA’s first Metropolitan Algal Repository (MARS). He led the HK$37.7M Jockey Club STEAM Scheme (16k+ beneficiaries) and supported PolyU as an honorary fellow, PhD examiner, and alumni speaker—earning 8 consecutive “A” appraisals and two President’s Awards. Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award of Department of ABCT 2025 - Professional Achievement Mr. CHENG Foon Yu (PolyU ABCT BSc 2016) St James’ Settlement Pharmacy-in-charge, Mr. Cheng served as a 2020 COVID-19 testing frontliner (Appreciation Certificate). He’s an anti-drug training speaker (2024), community volunteer teacher (2022), and 2025 “Journey of Progress” judge (supporting single-parent children). He also holds roles as National Games Volunteer Leader and Hong Kong United Elite Assoc Medicine & Health Deputy Director, plus published a 2025 SCI paper and edited a 2024 pharmacy book. Please join us in congratulating Prof. LEE Wang Fat and Mr. CHENG Foon Yu on this well-deserved recognition! Their dedication to excellence and service truly embodies PolyU’s spirit!

Welcoming Sun Yat-sen University to PolyU ABCT

Recently, the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology (ABCT) warmly welcomed a group of students from Sun Yat-Sen University. This two-day academic exchange aims to foster collaboration, promote cross-cultural learning, and strengthen ties between the two institutions. The event began with a lecture of ABCT1742 General Chemistry II delivered by Prof. Michael Yu and Dr Gary Cheung, followed by an engaging sharing session led by Dr Fortune Chan. This interactive lecture and sharing session provided the students with valuable insights into the exciting fields of Chemical technology, also providing a platform for discussing their academic journeys and research interests. The visit continued with a guided tour of our library, students explored our facilities, gaining insight into the university’s resources and learning environment. This enriching visit inspired curiosity and enthusiasm among the students, offering them meaningful insights into the academic and practical applications of chemical technology. Meanwhile, with networking dinner, further strengthening the bonds between PolyU ABCT and Sun Yat-Sen University. We hope this experience sparks their passion for these dynamic fields, and we look forward to welcoming more students from around the globe!

ABCT Postdoc Zhao Dawang and PhD Student Liu Qi from Prof. Zhao Xin’s Team Win Awards at the 2025 TERMIS-AP Conference

Zhao Dawang, a postdoctoral fellow under the supervision of Prof. ZHAO Xin, has been honored with the Best Oral Presentation Award at the 2025 TERMIS-AP Conference for his project titled “Three-dimensional Coral-like Porous Structure Locoregionally Regulating Macrophage Immunosenescence Rejuvenates Aged Bone Repair”. His research addresses the challenges in regenerating and repairing bone defects, outlines future directions in bone immune regulation, and aims to promote bone tissue regeneration and repair in aging individuals by modulating the bone immune microenvironment.   Liu Qi, a PhD student under the supervision of Prof. Zhao Xin, has been honored with the Best Poster Presentation Award for his project titled “Bone-on-leaf-chip for the Study of Lung Cancer Bone Metastasis”. His work details the fabrication of a leaf-inspired microfluidic chip and its application in investigating the mechanisms of lung cancer bone metastasis, with the goal of further developing it as a platform for personalized drug screening and mechanistic analysis.   The 2025 TERMIS-AP Conference is a prominent academic event in the fields of biomaterials, stem cells, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. Centered on the theme “New Era for Regenerative Medicine Translation”, the conference explores a broad spectrum of cutting-edge topics—including research innovations, industrial translation, regulatory decision-making, clinical applications, career development, and global collaboration. By uniting a diverse community of researchers, clinicians, and industry leaders, it provided an ideal platform for Zhao Dawang and Liu Qi to showcase their innovative work and contribute to the advancement of regenerative medicine!

Prof. ZHAO Xin was awarded the 2025 Outstanding Scientist Awards of TERMIS-AP Awards

On October 17th, the TERMIS-AP Awards presentation ceremony took place in Wuhan. And we are delighted to announce that Prof. ZHAO Xin was awarded the 2025 Outstanding Scientist Award. Prof. ZHAO Xin’s research interest is on Translational Regenerative Medicine, where she integrates multi-disciplinary approaches including material science, cell biology, engineering and medicine to modulate cell microenvironments, control cell behaviours and generate tissue-engineered organs, for addressing clinical issues. So far, she has published 100 articles (with h-index of 66 in Google Scholar, 8 of which are ESI highly cited paper) in prestigious journals including Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, Chem. Rev., Sci. Adv., Mater. Today, Adv. Funct. Mater., Biomaterials, Small. She is recognised in the list of “Highly Cited Researchers 2022” by Clarivate Analytics and “The World’s Top 2% Scientists 2023～2025” by Stanford University, for her significant research impact. She is a recipient of the National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scholars 2021, President’s Award-Outstanding Young Researcher 2022, the Mid-Career Award of Chinese Association for Biomaterials 2022, and the Biomaterials Award for Young Investigator 2024 by Elsevier Ltd. Her research product “Biomimicking Photocrosslinkable Nanocomposite Bone Grafts” has won the Silver Medal at the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva 2021, 2023 TechConnect Global Innovation Award and the Gold Medal at the 6th China (Shanghai) International Exhibition of Inventions 2023. This research product has also secured financial support from the Incu-Bio Programme (HK$ 4 million) from The Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation and TSSSU-O from Innovation and Technology Comission (HK$ 500 k) for clinical translation of the revolutionary materials. Another project " 3D printed Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS) bone scaffolds" won the Prize of the Croatian Union of Innovators and Silver Award at the Silicon Valley International Invention Festival (SVIIF) 2024, and gold medal of International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva 2024. Additionally, she has successfully attracted over 20 grants (⁓23 million) as principal investigator from the Hong Kong RGC (including the highly competitive CRF, NSFC-RGC), HMRF, ITF, NSFC, etc. She is also a founding editor of Eng. Regen., associate editor of Mater. Today Bio and Bio-Des. Manuf., and guest editor for 11 other journals.  

ABCT Science Scholars ranked The World’s Top 2% Most-cited Scientists 2025 by Stanford University

We are delighted to announce that twelve distinguished researchers from the ABCT department, have been recognized among the Top 2% of Scientists Worldwide in their respective fields for 2025, as compiled by Stanford University. This prestigious recognition, based on both career-long and single recent year data, underscores the exceptional quality and global impact of their research. The list, prepared by Professor John Ioannidis and his team at Stanford University, utilizes Scopus author profiles as of September 19, 2025, and provides standardized metrics including citations, h-index, co-authorship-adjusted hm-index, and a composite indicator. The updated database (version 8) highlights the transformative contributions of our researchers across diverse scientific disciplines. This achievement not only reflects the dedication and excellence of our faculty members but also reinforces our commitment to advancing knowledge and innovation on a global scale. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all recognized researchers and look forward to their continued success. Download the latest database (version 8):  https://elsevier.digitalcommonsdata.com/datasets/btchxktzyw/8 Join us in celebrating their achievements and look forward to their continued contributions! Career-long Data Name of Researcher Department Subject Field Prof. Wong Wai Yeung Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology Organic Chemistry Prof. Wong Wing Tak Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology Inorganic & Nuclear Chemistry Prof. Wong Kwok Yin Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology Organic Chemistry Prof. Liu Dongsheng Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology Inorganic & Nuclear Chemistry Prof. Wang Lianzhou Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Prof. Xing Bengang Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Prof. Zheng Zijian Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Prof. Yao Zhongping Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology Analytical Chemistry Prof. Zhao Xin Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology Biomedical Engineering Single Recent Year Data Name of Researcher Department Subject Field Prof. Wong Wai Yeung Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology Organic Chemistry Prof. Wong Wing Tak Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology Inorganic & Nuclear Chemistry Prof. Wong Kwok Yin Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology Organic Chemistry Prof. Liu Dongsheng Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology Inorganic & Nuclear Chemistry Prof. Wang Lianzhou Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Prof. Zheng Zijian Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Prof. Lee Kin Wah Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology Oncology & Carcinogenesis Prof. Yao Zhongping Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology Analytical Chemistry Prof. Zhao Xin Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology Biomedical Engineering Prof. Han Su Ting Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Prof.Lee Yoon Suk Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Source: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/fs/news-and-events/awards-and-achievements/2025/top-2-of-scientists-worldwide-2025-by-stanford-university/

PolyU ABCT Prof. Ko uncovered the key mechanism underlying the antiviral and neuroprotective effects of tetrandrine

PolyU ABCT Prof. Ko uncovered the key mechanism underlying the antiviral and neuroprotective effects of tetrandrine Researchers from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) have uncovered the key mechanism underlying the antiviral and neuroprotective effects of tetrandrine, a compound extracted from the root of the traditional Chinese medicine Stephania tetrandra. Previously known for its ability to block Ebola virus infection, tetrandrine’s exact cellular target had remained elusive. The PolyU team, led by Professor Ben Ko Chi-bun of the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, used an advanced photoaffinity probe technique and multi-omics analysis to visualize tetrandrine’s interactions within cells. They discovered that tetrandrine does not directly inhibit calcium channels, as previously assumed. Instead, it binds to the lysosomal integral membrane protein type-2 (LIMP-2) located on lysosomes—crucial organelles responsible for metabolism and waste processing. By attaching to LIMP-2, tetrandrine blocks the release of sphingosine, a lipid molecule required for calcium signalling. Diminished sphingosine levels subsequently reduce calcium entry into cells, thereby influencing vital biological processes such as immune response, metabolism, neuronal function, and viral replication. This discovery provides a new mechanistic explanation for tetrandrine’s antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. The compound’s ability to target LIMP-2 and regulate lysosomal calcium release could disrupt the survival and replication mechanisms of deadly viruses like Ebola and COVID-19. Moreover, the identification of LIMP-2 as a regulator of calcium signalling opens up a new frontier in drug discovery, especially for conditions driven by calcium imbalance. These include neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, as well as certain metastatic cancers. According to Professor Ko, this is the first study to uncover a functional role of LIMP-2 in calcium signalling, revealing an entirely new pathway for nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP)-regulated calcium signalling mediated through LIMP-2 and sphingosine. From both a cell biology and therapeutic perspective, these findings represent a breakthrough, identifying a critical molecular target for novel antiviral and neuroprotective therapies. The PolyU team’s integrated technology platform enables the comprehensive study of natural compounds and their molecular targets, paving the way for innovative drug development. This research demonstrates how modern analytical approaches can revitalize traditional Chinese medicine by translating its natural products into scientifically validated therapeutic agents. The findings were published in Nature Communications under the title “Tetrandrine regulates NAADP-mediated calcium signaling through a LIMP-2-dependent and sphingosine-mediated mechanism.” More details: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/media/media-releases/2025/1008_polyu-researchers-uncover-target-and-mechanism-of-chinese-medicine-extract-tetrandrine/

ABCT Students Win Grand Prize at PolyU International Future Challenge Hong Kong Region

ABCT Students Win Grand Prize at PolyU International Future Challenge Hong Kong Region The Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology (ABCT) is delighted to congratulate our student team for winning the Grand Prize (Student Track) at the PolyU International Future Challenge Hong Kong Region. This prestigious award recognises their outstanding project, “Sprayable biomimetic double mask for anti-scar wound healing.” The team’s innovative solution, Sprayable Biomimetic Double Masks (BDMs), offers a novel approach to wound care by closely mimicking the natural healing process to prevent excessive scarring. Through rapid autophasing and hierarchical programming, BDMs form a bi-layered structure that resembles human skin. The top hydrophobic layer (PGLADMA) acts as a protective scab, while the bottom hydrophilic layer (GelMA) ensures tissue adhesion and elasticity. This dual-layer system enhances haemostasis, angiogenesis, and tissue regeneration, accelerating healing and minimising scarring. The Department of ABCT congratulates the team on their remarkable achievement and wishes them continued success in their research and innovation journey.