Congratulations to Dr Leung Wing Hei, Rainbow on receiving the PolyU Ph.D. Thesis Award 2026 (STEM Merit Award) & FS Outstanding Ph.D. Thesis Awards 2026.
Dr Rainbow Leung is now a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Life Sciences (LS). She started off her postgraduate study journey in 2022 and obtained her Ph.D. in 2026, under the supervision of Prof. Terence Lee, Associate Head and Professor of LS. Her research focused on cancer biology and immunology, with particular expertise in cell engineering. Her thesis entitled “Study on the Therapeutic Efficacy of Glypican-3 Peptide-linked Chimeric Antigen Receptor-Macrophage in Hepatocellular Carcinoma” demonstrates how fundamental immunology and cell engineering can translate into affordable, scalable therapies with real societal impact.
Dr Leung's doctoral research engineers macrophages as a new cancer therapy. Using a novel peptide-linking platform, she developed a non-viral approach that conjugates in just two hours, enabling faster, cheaper, and more tailor-made treatment. The underlying technology has been recognized with a US provisional patent filed in 2025 and has received support from PolyU-MicroFund (2025–26) and HKSTP-Ideation (2025). Her work has already translated into practice through the co-founding of Phagocytex Limited (@Phagocytex), a PolyU-supported biotech startup, demonstrating her commitment to turning fundamental research into practical solutions with real societal impact.
Join us to congratulate Dr Rainbow Leung and her supervisor, Prof. Terence Lee on this outstanding achievement!
