News

MHRC study reveals that apelin mediates the antidepressant effects of physical exercise

Dr Sonata YAU, Member of the Mental Health Research Centre (MHRC) and Associate Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, presented at the annual meeting of The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) 2023 in Washington DC, United States.  The abstract entitled “Potential role of apelin in mediating the antidepressant effects of physical exercise” was selected by the Society of Neuroscience for press conference this year.  Out of over 12,500 abstracts submitted to the meeting, less than 50 are being offered this prestigious opportunity of speaking directly to the media. The study revealed that apelin, a muscle-secreted peptide, is important for mediating the antidepressant effects of physical exercise. Sarcopenia, a muscle ageing condition, is strongly correlated with geriatric depression, but the exact muscle-brain crosstalk isn’t well understood. Previous research has shown that apelin is linked to sarcopenia, and is also associated with hippocampal neuroplasticity and antidepressant effects. Using a mouse model of chronic unpredictable stress, Dr Yau and her research team showed that stressed mice exhibited decreased apelin expression levels in the hippocampus, which could be restored by 4-week physical running. Knockout of apelin specifically in skeletal muscle reduced the antidepressant effects of exercise, whereas overexpression of muscle apelin elicited antidepressant effects. The research deepens our understanding of the potential role of apelin in mediating the crosstalk of the muscle-brain axis, and holds important implications for understanding stress-related disorders.

RILS project supported by CEPU’s Public Policy Research Funding Scheme

A project led by Prof. WANG Yuhong, Member of the Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS), Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE), Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD) and Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE), was awarded a funding of HK$775,100 under the Public Policy Research Funding Scheme (PPRFS) 2023/24 (First Round) of the Chief Executive’s Policy Unit (CEPU). The project “How to Effectively Implement Nature-Base Solutions (NBS) in Urban Development and Urban Renewal – A Comparison Study of Policies between Hong Kong and Leading European Cities” lasts 23 months and is granted the highest funding amount in this cycle. The PPRFS aims to support projects of smaller scale and shorter duration that that will inform the Government’s policy making process, drive changes, keep up with national development and international trends, and contribute to policy development. Reports from supported projects may be used as reference by relevant policy bureaux or departments in policy formulation and review process. Online coverage: Oriental Daily News - https://polyu.me/3ue9BLo (Chinese only)

PAIR to organise research seminar on Chinese medicine

PAIR cordially invites you to join our PAIR Seminar on 1 December 2023 (Friday) at 3:00–4:30 p.m. (Hong Kong Time) at AG204, PolyU campus or via Zoom. The seminar, titled “Challenges and Opportunities for Chinese Medicine Research”, will be delivered by Prof. CHE Chun-Tao, Harry H.S. Fong Professor of Pharmacognosy in the College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and Director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Traditional Medicine. In the Seminar, Prof. Che will share on the scientific challenges in Chinese medicine development in relation to the quality, safety, and effectiveness of herbal products, and how some of these difficulties present opportunities for international collaborative research to help meet the demands for high-quality Chinese medicine products. Prior to joining UIC, Prof. Che was the Director of the School of Chinese Medicine of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). Trained as a pharmacognosist, Prof. Che has a broad background in botany, chemistry and pharmacology of herbal medicines. During the 40 years of career as a researcher and educator, Prof. Che has focused his research interest in the discovery of potential pharmaceutical substances from natural sources, including the isolation, structural elucidation and modification of biologically active substances from medicinal plants, as well as the analysis, quality assurance, and standardisation of plant-based preparations. Over 340 scientific papers have been published to his credit in the areas of pharmacognosy, natural products and Chinese/herbal medicines. Don’t miss the chance to learn from PAIR’s distinguished scholar! Find out more and register at: https://polyu.hk/eJZdY

MHRC members join healthtech project to improve mental health care

A healthtech project joined by three members of the Mental Health Research Centre (MHRC), titled “Integrated innovative artificial intelligence, and genomic and biomedical technologies in healthcare: Objective diagnosis, personalised therapy and determination the etiology of major mental disorders”, was awarded HK$37 million funding from the Strategic Topics Grant 2023/24 of the Research Grants Council (RGC).   The five-year project is led by Prof. ZHANG Weixiong, Chair Professor in Bioinformatics & Integrative Genomics in the Department of Health Technology and Informatics and the Department of Computing. The research team is joined by three MHRC members from the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences: Associate Professor Dr Sonata YAU is the Co-Principal Investigator, while Assistant Professors Dr Georg KRANZ and Dr Jessie LIN are the Co-Investigators. The project aims to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI), genomic, biomedical and neuroimaging technologies to provide an innovative and integrated strategy for the diagnosis, treatment planning and understanding of major mental disorders. The AI-based, data-driven solution to be developed from the project will help improve the efficiency of diagnosis and treatment planning in mental health care. Further reading: https://polyu.hk/zoBrw

Two PAIR scholars win BOCHK Science and Technology Innovation Prize

Two PAIR scholars have been awarded the BOCHK Science and Technology Innovation Prize (STIP) for their outstanding contributions to the scientific and technological innovation and transformation in Hong Kong. The two PAIR awardees are: Prof. Benny CHEUNG Chi-fai, Associate Director of the Research Centre for SHARP Vision (RCSV), Management Committee Member of the Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE) and Chair Professor of Ultra-precision Machining and Metrology—prize winner in the “Advanced Manufacturing” field; and Dr Daniel LUO Xiapu, Leading Member of the Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Things (RIAIoT) and Member of the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart Cities Research Institute (SCRI)—prize winner in the “Fintech” field.   PolyU press release: https://polyu.hk/Prext   Online coverage: Sing Tao Daily - https://polyu.me/3MrOXOe Headline Daily - https://polyu.me/40iqvEI Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/3sfLICy Hong Kong Commercial Daily - https://polyu.me/3sg4mdz Economic Digest - https://polyu.me/47iK5mF Dot Dot News - https://polyu.me/40iQfAE Hong Kong China News Agency - https://polyu.me/46VlkwM RTHK - https://polyu.me/3SkwZ3Z Bastille Post - https://polyu.me/3MoG3AQ

MHRC member awarded HMRF grant to develop digital mindfulness-based eating intervention for weight management

Dr Dalinda Isabel SANCHEZ VIDANA, Member of the Mental Health Research Centre (MHRC) and Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, received a HK$1 M grant from the Health and Medical Research Fund of the Health Bureau, HKSAR, for her project “Digital mindfulness-based eating awareness training for obesity management: A randomised controlled trial”. The project aims to design a digital Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training (MB-EAT) and evaluate its effectiveness as an intervention for obesity management. The digital MB-EAT to be developed can be integrated into telemedicine or mobile app platforms, allowing users to administer so easily. Participants receiving the digital MB-EAT will be studied for their changes in eating behaviours, appetite-regulating hormones, stress and mood. The study will provide empirical evidence for the use of digital MB-EAT in addressing overweight and obesity in Hong Kong.

Prof FAN Jintu appointed as Visiting Chief Scientist of Donghua University

Prof FAN Jintu, Director of the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF) and Chair Professor of Fiber Science and Apparel Engineering, was appointed as Visiting Chief Scientist of the Shanghai International Fashion Innovation Centre (SIFIC), Donghua University for a period of three years, from 1 June 2023 to 31 May 2026.  Prof. Fan will provide professional advice and strategic inputs to the Center in relation to disciplinary development, scientific research, talent development, international collaboration and other matters. These include but not limited to: formulating development plans and goals, identifying frontier research directions, building high-level research teams, nurturing leading fashion innovators, steering independent innovative research, promoting collaborations with world-renowned universities and research institutions, and driving the commercialisation of the Centre’s research achievements.

Dr Daphne Cheung receives 2023 Claudia J. Beverly Innovation Award

Dr Daphne CHEUNG, Member of the Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA) and the Mental Health Research Centre (MHRC), received the 2023 Claudia J. Beverly Innovation Award by the National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence (NHCGNE). The Award recognises outstanding innovative programmes and projects that have significant positive impact on the nursing care for older adults. Since 2008, Dr Cheung and her team have been developing and testing music interventions for older adults with cognitive impairment. The team worked with engineers, music therapists and users to develop the Standalone Therapeutic Music-with-Movement System, which integrates technology with conventional psychosocial intervention. The system is now being used in more than 50 care institutions in Hong Kong.

Prof. Jerry YAN delivers keynote on energy transition at international conference

Prof. Jerry YAN Jinyue, Executive Committee Member of the Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD) and Chair Professor of Energy and Buildings, at the International Conference on New Energy Science and Electrification of Transportation held on 31 October 2023 in Xiong’an, China, delivered a keynote presentation titled “Energy Nexus: Research and Innovations without Borders — Inter-disciplinary research on energy transition”. Prof. Yan said that there are two sides of energy transition, one is by increasing the proportion of renewable energy sources, and the other is by targeting at the distributed energy generation and storage of end-users. In addition, Prof. Yan pointed out that energy systems involve multiple fields and so, future energy innovation is an interdisciplinary field, involving not only engineering, but also other disciplines.   Online coverage: Xinhua Net - https://polyu.me/3MrQGmG 光明網 - https://polyu.me/45Y5jF0 Toutiao - https://polyu.me/3FFQool

Prof. KIM Chulhong from POSTECH enlightens on healthcare innovation in post-pandemic era

The 9th PAIR Distinguished Lecture on 27 October 2023 was a resounding success. Delivered by Prof. KIM Chulhong of Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) in South Korea, the lecture titled “Healthcare Innovation After the Pandemic: Engineering-based Medical Education and Efforts for Commercialization” drew over 150 onsite and online attendees from more than 30 countries and regions in Australia, Asia, Europe and North America. The event was also broadcast live on social media platforms, including Bilibili and Weibo, captivating a viewing audience of over 12,000. In the lecture, Prof. Kim highlighted POSTECH’s ground-breaking initiative to establish a new engineering-based medical school, which aims to tackle practical medical problems via innovative technology and put significant efforts into commercialisation. Reflecting on his research journey, Prof. Kim shared his personal experiences and the obstacles in founding “Opticho” to transform laboratory research outcomes into commercially viable products. A question-and-answer session moderated by Prof. Daniel LAU Shu Ping, Associate Director of Photonics Research Institute (PRI), and Dr LAI Puxiang, Management Committee Member of PRI, followed. The audience connected with Prof. Kim and had an enthusiastic, fruitful exchange of ideas. Please click here for an online review.