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PAIR and Cambridge NeuroWorks launch new online neuroscience seminar series in May 2026

The PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University has joined forces with Cambridge NeuroWorks, UK, made up of nine partners including the University of Cambridge, to launch a new online seminar series in neuroscience.  The inaugural seminar, delivered by Prof. Edward CHANG of the University of California San Francisco, is being held on 27 May 2026. This strategic partnership brings together institutions with complementary strengths.  PAIR is recognised for advancing interdisciplinary research across brain health, biomedical engineering, data science and healthcare innovation, with a strong focus on real-world impact.  Cambridge NeuroWorks is a transformative neurotechnology initiative led and hosted by Cambridge University Health Partners (CUHP) and powered by the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), the UK’s R&D funding agency created to unlock scientific and technological breakthroughs that benefit everyone.  It aims to build national translational infrastructure that connects researchers, clinicians, founders, patients and industry to accelerate breakthrough neurotechnology from idea to real-world impact. The seminar series provides an international platform for researchers, clinicians, students and industry professionals from Hong Kong, UK and beyond to explore emerging ideas and breakthroughs in neuroscience research, technology development and clinical practice through expert-led presentations and cross-disciplinary dialogue.  This new collaboration promotes professional exchange, encourages new partnerships and inspires future research opportunities, reflecting both institutions’ shared commitment to excellence, innovation and global engagement in improving healthcare and quality of living through advances in neurotechnology. Register now: https://polyu.hk/SISXu   Online coverage: Bastille Post - https://polyu.me/4uZhWwL  etnet - https://polyu.me/4nyB2qK  Quamnet - https://polyu.me/4v0zZmi  Sina HK - https://polyu.me/3RfVgK2 Yahoo Finance - https://polyu.me/3POqNCj Taiwan News - https://polyu.me/4wIgr7U Weekender Singapore - https://polyu.me/3PJOH1T The Manila Times - https://polyu.me/43lYCh7 IT News Online - https://polyu.me/3PxD7qz A-Performers - https://polyu.me/4uZhCy3 

Decoding the Decoction: Prof. LAO Lixing on Navigating the Rigours and Realities of Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinical Trials

On 13 May 2026, Prof. LAO Lixing, President of Virginia University of Integrative Medicine, United States, delivered a PAIR Seminar titled “Clinical Trials on Chinese Herbal Medicine, Methodology and Challenges” at the PolyU campus. The seminar attracted an audience of over 40 scholars, researchers, practitioners and students onsite, and over 13,300 online viewers across various social media platforms. The Pursuit of Evidence-Based Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Prof. Lao opened the seminar by discussing the paradigm shift toward Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM). While Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) has been used for millennia, the complexity of multi-herb formulas presents unique hurdles for scientific validation. According to the EBM hierarchy, Randomised Controlled Trials represent the gold standard. Prof. Lao’s work focuses on applying FDA research guidelines to CHM, covering everything from the authentication of raw materials and extraction methods to quality control and quality assurance using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Case Studies: HLXL and TSD The seminar delved into two primary case studies. The first focused on HLXL (Huo-Luo-Xiao-Ling) for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. Pre-clinical trials on rats demonstrated significant reductions in arthritic scores and pro-inflammatory cytokines. However, a subsequent Phase II human clinical trial, while confirming the formula's safety, revealed that the 8-week treatment was not superior to the placebo in reducing pain. Prof. Lao noted this as a classic example of the “species gap” between animal and human responses. The second case study examined Tumour-Shrinking Decoction (TSD) for the treatment of uterine fibroids. This double-blind, dose-controlled trial aimed to evaluate symptom relief and fibroid size reduction. While the study provided valuable data on safety and potential efficacy, it highlighted the challenges posed by “fixed” formulas compared with the “individualised” nature of TCM diagnosis. The lecture concluded with an engaging Q&A session moderated by Prof. Wong Man-sau, Director of Research Centre for Chinese Medicine Innovation and Professor of the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at PolyU. In response to questions regarding online scepticism and geographical variations in herbal efficacy, Prof. Lao emphasised that robust scientific evidence is the most effective tool for global validation. He further explained how the “multi-target” nature of herbal formulas necessitates specialised requirements for clinical sample sizes and efficacy indicators. Prof. Lao encouraged researchers to persevere in integrating FDA-level rigor with TCM wisdom to ensure the sustainable development of Chinese medicine in global healthcare. Please click here for an online review.

Prof. MA Cong highlights emerging opportunities for medical AI in Hong Kong at Asia Healthcare Summit

Prof. MA Cong, Member of the Research Centre for Chinese Medicine Innovation (RCMI) and Associate Professor of the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology of PolyU, recently served as a panellist at a thematic session of the 6th Asia Healthcare Summit, held during the 5th International Healthcare Week, where he shared insights into transforming healthcare through digital health & AI innovations. Prof. Ma noted that Hong Kong possesses several unique advantages for the development of “AI + healthcare”, including strong scientific research capabilities, government policy support, a well-established healthcare system and robust intellectual property protection.  He added that the establishment of the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation will help facilitate the approval of new local drugs and accelerate the translation and commercialisation of research outcomes. He explained that the development of medical artificial intelligence in Hong Kong has progressed through three stages.  As early as 2021, AI had already been applied to lung imaging diagnosis, before extending to stroke and ophthalmic disease screening.  At present, development has advanced towards genetic risk assessment and early disease prediction, driving a shift in healthcare from a treatment-led model to a prevention-first approach.  He pointed out that AI can not only optimise medical workflows and improve the efficiency and accuracy of image interpretation, but also support personalised health management and public health decision-making, bringing even greater potential to the development of smart healthcare. In addition, Prof. Ma’s research team has combined generative AI with structural biology to speed up antibiotic development.  They have already identified active candidate molecules targeting five types of difficult-to-treat infections, with two candidate drugs having entered the preclinical safety evaluation stage.  This highlights Hong Kong’s efforts in accelerating the development of a comprehensive healthcare innovation and technology ecosystem.   Online coverage: Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/42r4lC8 Hong Kong China News Agency - https://polyu.me/4uFLbV5 Chinese Daily - https://polyu.me/4dEsLye

Prof. Mike LAI urges Hong Kong to grow high-value maritime services to secure global shipping hub status

Against a backdrop of global supply chain restructuring and rising geopolitical risks, Hong Kong’s shipping industry is facing mounting challenges, including cargo diversion, persistently high costs and intensifying competition from regional ports.  In his recent op-ed published in Wen Wei Po, Prof. Mike LAI Kee-hung, Co-Director of the Research Centre for Environmental, Social, and Governance Advancement (RCESGA), Associate Dean (Academic Support) of the Faculty of Business, Interim Head of the Department of Logistics and Maritime Studies, and Chair Professor of Shipping and Logistics, noted that the core challenge confronting Hong Kong’s shipping industry is not merely a decline in cargo volume, but a structural imbalance.  He argued that Hong Kong must fully leverage its institutional strengths, international networks and strong financial services capabilities to accelerate its transformation into a diversified and integrated shipping hub. Prof. Lai said that, in line with the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan, Hong Kong could enhance its overall competitiveness and attractiveness by reducing port and cross-boundary transport costs, promoting direct access for Greater Bay Area lorries to the Kwai Tsing Container Terminals, and encouraging green vessels to call at Hong Kong.  At the same time, Hong Kong should focus on developing high-value maritime services, including shipping finance, marine insurance, legal arbitration, ship management and green finance, while also expediting the implementation of electronic bills of lading and the enhancement of the recently launched port community system to improve the integration of logistics, capital and information flows, thereby improving overall service efficiency. The article also suggests that the ports of Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou should clearly define their respective roles: Hong Kong should focus on international trans-shipment and high-end services, Shenzhen on exports from high-tech manufacturing, and Guangzhou on inland intermodal transport.  Through coordination and complementarity, rather than destructive competition, the three ports can jointly strengthen the Greater Bay Area’s strategic position as a new global hub for maritime trade.   Online coverage: Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/4tnzUaP

Designing Materials the Lego Building Way: Prof. Stephen Z. D. Cheng on New Strategies for Giant Molecule Design

On 11 May 2026, Prof. Stephen Z. D. CHENG, Member of the National Academy of Engineering, USA, and Dean and Honourable Professor of School of Emergent Soft Matter, South China University of Technology, delivered a PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “Superlattice Engineering of Soft Alloys in Giant Molecules” at the PolyU campus. The lecture attracted an audience of over 50 scholars, researchers and students onsite, and nearly 14,300 online viewers across various social media platforms. In traditional materials science, the natural arrangement of molecules and atoms directly determines a material’s physical and chemical properties. Prof. Cheng’s research challenges this conventional paradigm by proposing that materials should be designed from the atomic and molecular levels. Through precise molecular design and modular assembly—much like building with Lego bricks—materials can be constructed from the ground up to exhibit targeted properties. Prof. Cheng explained that scientists can now synthesise giant molecules with highly controllable architectures and employ them as stable, predictable building blocks. This enables researchers to first define the desired functions of a material and then construct the precise molecular architecture required to realise those functions, offering unprecedented flexibility in materials design. Prof. Cheng further shared how his team precisely control the size and volume of “Molecular Legos”, then successfully created soft alloys with metal-like superlattice features. These breakthroughs establish a foundation for metamaterials with programmable properties, offering strong potential in advanced electronics, high-sensitivity sensors, and next-generation thermal and energy management technologies. The lecture concluded with an engaging Q&A session moderated by Prof. WANG Zuankai, Associate Vice President (Research), Kuok Group Professor in Nature-Inspired Engineering, and Chair Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at PolyU. Addressing a question on mesoatom volume asymmetry in giant-molecule soft-alloy superlattices, Prof. Cheng emphasised how subtle structural differences can spark new properties. He also encouraged young people to step beyond their comfort zones and face challenges with resilience. Please click here for an online review.

Prof. SHOU Dahua’s “iAdapt” intelligent soft robotic clothing wins gold at 2026 Edison Awards

The innovative project “iAdapt: Intelligent Soft Robotic Clothing”, led by Prof. SHOU Dahua, Associate Director of the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF), Member of the Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR), Lee Family Endowed Young Scholar in Advanced Textiles Technologies and Associate Professor of the School of Fashion and Textiles—and funded by The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel Limited (HKRITA), has won the Gold Award in the “Consumer Solutions” category at the 2026 Edison Awards. iAdapt is an advanced intelligent garment designed to dynamically regulate its thermal performance in extreme cold and rapidly changing thermal environments. It effectively enhances the wearer’s thermal comfort while offering ultra‑high breathability, which is crucial for safeguarding the safety and health of wearers.  This breakthrough innovation provides personalised thermal comfort for a wide range of professional and general users, including outdoor workers, firefighters and athletes.  The invention not only represents a major advance in intelligent wearable technology, but also demonstrates strong market potential and broad application prospects.

Prof. Sylvia Xiaohua CHEN elected as Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts

Prof. Sylvia Xiaohua CHEN, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Chair Professor of Social and Cultural Psychology in the Department of Applied Social Sciences, Director of the Yan Oi Tong Au Suet Ming Child Development Centre, and Co-Founder of the Mental Health Research Centre (MHRC) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, has been elected as a Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA) under Class V: Social Sciences, Law, and Economics. EASA is a learned society based in Salzburg, Austria, committed to promoting scientific and societal progress. Its members include leading scientists, artists, and practitioners of governance who are dedicated to innovative research, interdisciplinary and transnational collaboration, as well as the exchange and dissemination of knowledge. The Academy comprises seven distinct classes representing various academic and artistic disciplines: Humanities, Medicine, Arts, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Law and Economics, Technical and Environmental Sciences, and World Religions. Prof. Chen’s research spans personality and social psychology, cultural psychology, and mental health, with a focus on bilingualism and biculturalism, culture and globalisation, personality and social behaviour in cultural contexts, and the psychosocial and cultural dimensions of mental health. She is a Chartered Psychologist of the British Psychological Society and a Registered Psychologist and Fellow of the Hong Kong Psychological Society.  Prof. Chen’s honours include the Outstanding International Psychologist Award from the American Psychological Association and the Humanities and Social Sciences Prestigious Fellowship from the Research Grants Council. She is a Fellow of major scholarly and professional societies, including The World Academy of Sciences, the Hong Kong Academy of the Humanities, the Association for Psychological Science, and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, as well as a Senior Fellow of Advance HE, UK. She has served as President of the Asian Association of Social Psychology, and is currently Editor‑in‑Chief of the Journal of Cross‑Cultural Psychology and General Editor of the Cambridge University Press Culture and Psychology Series.  

Prof. FAN Jintu appointed Editor-in-Chief of Textiles Journal

Congratulations to Prof. FAN Jintu, Director of the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF) and Chair Professor of Fibre Science and Apparel Engineering at School of Fashion and Textiles, on his appointment as Editor-in-Chief of the international academic journal Textiles, effective from 1 May 2026. Textiles is currently ranked second out of 31 journals in the “Materials Science, Textiles” category, placing it firmly in the top quartile (Q1) with an Impact Factor of 4.9.  The editorial board of Textiles consists of 39 outstanding textile scholars around the world.

PolyU research reveals hidden health risks from urban airborne microbes

Public concern about air pollution has traditionally focused on chemical pollutants in fine particulate matter (PM2.5), such as vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions. However, recent research from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) shows that microbial components in the air — including bacteria, fungi, viruses and cellular debris — may also pose significant but overlooked health risks. The study was led by Prof. Nathanael Jin Ling, Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Department of Health Technology and Informatics. The research team carried out a systematic analysis of the microbial components of PM2.5 and found that bacteria make up the largest share. In particular, they identified endotoxin, a structural component of bacterial cell walls, as a major concern. Although endotoxin represents less than 0.0001% of the total mass of PM2.5, it can account for up to 17% of the inflammatory response in the human respiratory system. In other words, among all currently known PM2.5 components, endotoxin exhibits the highest toxicity and health impact relative to its mass. The findings suggest that reducing the overall mass of PM2.5 alone may not be enough to lower the health risks of air pollution. Instead, more effective protection may depend on identifying and controlling trace components with very high toxicity, even when present at extremely low concentrations. The study was published in Environmental Science & Technology under the title “Disproportionately Higher Contribution of Endotoxin to PM2.5 Bioactivity than Its Mass Share Highlights the Need to Identify Low-Concentration, High-Potency Components”. In a separate study, Prof. Jin’s team collaborated with researchers from overseas universities to investigate airborne Candida in urban air and assess its potential transmission routes and community infection risks. Candida species are classified by the World Health Organization as priority pathogens. The researchers detected multidrug-resistant Candida parapsilosis in urban air and found close genetic links between these airborne strains and clinical strains from infected patients. This suggests that people may unknowingly be exposed to drug-resistant fungi through everyday breathing or skin contact, thereby increasing the potential risk of community infection. The study also showed that Candida species are seasonally common in urban air and widely distributed across various built environments, including wastewater treatment plants, healthcare settings and residential ventilation systems. Among the species studied, Candida parapsilosis showed particularly strong environmental resilience and drug resistance, making it a notable fungal threat in urban air. This study was published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters under the title “Public Health Implications of Airborne Candida: Viability, Drug Resistance, and Genetic Links to Clinical Strains”. Prof. Jin is a member of several research units under PAIR, including the Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood), the Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD) and the Mental Health Research Centre (MHRC). Read the full studies: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.5c07255 https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.estlett.5c00795 Press release:https://polyu.me/48CazTc   Online coverage: Mirage - https://polyu.me/3QKCiuI The National Tribune - https://polyu.me/4cJzdnm Bastille Post - https://polyu.me/42EmA6X EurekAlert - https://polyu.me/3OLPTBx Head Topics - https://polyu.me/49nP8Wb

Prof. Raymond WONG elected Fellow of Chinese Chemical Society

Congratulations to Prof. Raymond WONG Wai-yeung, Dean of Faculty of Science, Clarea Au Professor in Energy and Chair Professor of Chemical Technology, on his election as a Fellow of the Chinese Chemical Society (FCCS).  He is the only Fellow from a Hong Kong institution to have been elected this year, among a total of 50 Fellows. Established in 2019, the Chinese Chemical Society (CCS) Fellowship is the highest level of membership conferred by the Society.  It recognises senior members who have made significant contributions to chemistry and related fields, or outstanding contributions to the development of the Society, and encourages their continued efforts in advancing science and technology, while also promoting the development of China’s chemical industry.  To date, 346 scholars have been elected as FCCS fellows. Prof. Wong is a distinguished scholar in the field of advanced materials and energy science. His research focuses on the design and synthesis of molecular functional materials and one‑ and two‑dimensional metallopolymers with photofunctional properties and energy applications.  His team is committed to transforming cutting-edge chemistry research into meaningful solutions for sustainable energy. Prof. Wong is currently Associate Director of the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE), Member of the Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD), the Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR) and the Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports).