Dr Rainbow Leung, who is now a postdoctoral fellow in PolyU Department of Life Sciences, started off her postgraduate study journey in 2022 and obtained her Ph.D. in 2026, under the supervision of Prof. Lee Kin Wah, Terence — Associate Head and Professor of the Department of Life Sciences.
Focusing on cancer biology and immunology, with particular expertise in cell engineering, 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.
Her doctoral research engineers macrophages — our body's "Pac-Man" cells that engulf cancer and recruit T cells — 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).
