News

RISA Symposium on Brain Ageing, Imaging and Stimulation

We are delighted to express our sincere gratitude to all the speakers and participants who contributed to the remarkable success of the 1st RISA symposium on Brain Ageing, Imaging, and Stimulation, which took place on March 13, 2024. The active engagement and insightful dialogue from the speakers and participants greatly enriched the event, establishing it as a significant milestone in the field. This symposium served not only as a showcase for the latest research and advancements but also as a catalyst for fostering meaningful discussions and collaborations. We are profoundly appreciative of the enthusiasm and expertise that the speakers and participants brought to the symposium. Their contributions are crucial in advancing our understanding of brain ageing and in the pursuit of innovative solutions. The connections and knowledge shared during this event have laid a strong foundation for future progress. Thank you to all the speakers and participants for making this symposium a memorable and impactful gathering. We look forward to welcoming you to our future events and continuing this vital dialogue.

Gerontech and Innovation Expo cum Summit 2023

The Gerontech and Innovation Expo cum Summit 2023, which took place from November 23 to 26, once again established itself as a premier event, drawing thousands of visitors keen to explore the intersection of technology and ageing. This year, the Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA) at PolyU proudly presented an exclusive showcase from the Department of Biomedical Engineering, highlighting the department's latest and most innovative contributions to elder care technology. At the RISA exhibition booth, the Department of Biomedical Engineering captivated the audience with advanced solutions designed to improve the lives of the elderly. The focused presentation allowed for in-depth discussions and provided a comprehensive view of the cutting-edge research and development efforts emanating from PolyU's talented team. The expo was a hub of activity, with academic staff, industry experts, and the general public all converging to discover the transformative potential of gerontechnology. The enthusiasm and engagement of the visitors were a testament to the growing interest and importance of smart ageing solutions in our society. We are optimistic that the connections made and the interest generated at the Gerontech and Innovation Expo cum Summit 2023 will lead to fruitful collaborations and will continue to propel RISA's vision for smart ageing forward. We extend our sincerest thanks to all the participants for their support and for contributing to the success of this year's event. We eagerly anticipate the innovations and advancements that will emerge as a result of this year's expo and look forward to welcoming everyone to future events.

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.

Health Future Challenge 2023

Dr Ivy ZHAO, Member of the Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA), was awarded the 1st Runner Up in the Health Future Challenge 2023 organised by the Knowledge Transfer and Entrepreneurship Office and received Translational Research Grant from the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences for her start-up project “A web-based game-like dual-task hearing-cognitive training system”. The project aims to develop a web-based, game-like, dual-task hearing-cognitive training system for older adults with hearing loss to enhance their hearing efficiency, cognitive functions and social engagement. Prof Zheng Yong Ping, Director of RISA, was also awarded the 1st Runner Up with project "ProRuka — Novel prosthetic hand controlled by wireless wearable ultrasound sensing". The project aims to develop a cutting-edge, lightweight, and affordable prosthetic hand with a novel and precise controlling system. Health Future Challenge is a start-up ideation competition for students, researchers, alumni and industrialists to team up and come up with health-tech ideas and business models.

World’s top 2% most-cited scientists

Congratulations to Ir Prof. Zheng Yong Ping, Director of RISA, Prof. Tao Xiao Ming, Prof. Wang Shi Yuan William, and Prof. Cao Jiannong, member of RISA, who have been recognized on the list of top 2% most-cited scientists internationally, list complied by Standford University in Oct2023.

Hong Kong Arthritis Day

The first Hong Kong Arthritis Day was organized by BME, PolyU on 15 Oct 2023. RISA's booth showcasted our research product, Sarcopenia Accessment System together with other gadgets from the Jockey Club Smart Ageing Hub. Participants enjoyed the hands-on live demo with all the products shown. 

PAIR Conference 2023

PAIR Conference was held successfully from 8May to 11May. Smart Ageing session was held on 10May, which attracted near 100 participants to join on site and also near 100 online participants. A lab tour visiting the Smart Ageing Hub was also organised for the participants. There were 3 posters chosen for the best poster awards among 35 submission. The awardees list as below. 1. Justina YW LIU, Calvin LUK, LING K.K., Jerry WF YEUNG, SUN Yi, Kenneth LO, Patrick PK KOR, Gabriel CH FONG, Thomas KS CHOI, Daphne CHEUNG, ZHENG Yongping"The development of an e-Health system to enhance healthy lifestyles of older adults with sacropenia"2. Wilson Yiu Shun LAM, Elaine KWONG, Huberta Wai Tung CHAN, ZHENG Yongping"Predicting the presence of dysphagia by swallowing sequence variability and event concurrency using linear classification models: a pilot study"3. Aria C.H. YANG, Able C.L. KWOK, Richard LI, WU Yiying Bow, Markus WERNL, Jennifer Yoohyun LEE, Annette VONG, LO Ka Wen, Angela Y.M. LEUNG, Calvin LUK, LING K.K."Designing a sensor-enabled urban green care farm (S-Farm) with older adults in Hong Kong"We would like to thank all speakers and participants for your support to RISA event!

Healthy Longevity Catalyst Awards

Dr WEN Chunyi, Member of the Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA), won the Healthy Longevity Catalyst Award (Hong Kong) 2022 in the biology and medicine category of the Healthy Longevity Global Competition for his project “Senolytic uPAR-CAR-T Therapy for Osteoarthritis”.The competition is organised by the National Academy of Medicine of the United States. It is a series of inducement awards and prizes to catalyse breakthrough innovations to promote people’s lifelong physical, mental, and social health and well-being. There are ten awards in the competition. Each winning project will receive a US$50,000 cash prize for a maximum period of 12 months.

BOCHK Science and Technology Innovation Prize Health for Life Award

Prof. ZHENG Yongping, Director of the Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA), has been awarded the inaugural BOCHK Science and Technology Innovation Prize in the field of “Life and Health” with HKD 2 million cash prize. Prof. Zheng has obtained more than 50 patents and was ranked among the world’s top 2% most-cited scientists in rankings compiled by Stanford University in 2021 and 2022. His main research area includes biomedical ultrasound instrumentation, soft tissue elasticity measurement and imaging, 3D ultrasound imaging and smart aging technologies. The research team led by Prof. Zheng has developed a 3D ultrasound imaging system, “Scolioscan”, which can bring accurate, safe and cost-efficient radiation-free scoliosis assessment. The invention has been applied to clinical assessment in many countries to facilitate early diagnosis and early treatment of scoliosis, and to control the condition using non-surgical intervention. This invention can also be used for the evaluation of ageing spine, including degenerative scoliosis. 

Hong Kong ICT Awards 2022

Dr. Daphne Cheung, member of RISA, and her team have received Hong Kong ICT Awards 2022: Smart People (Smart Ageing) Silver Award for their work on the project "Therapeutic music-with-movement programme for elderly with cognitive impairment". Congratulations!