Research Assistant Professor
Dr Dalinda Isabel SANCHEZ VIDANA
Research Assistant Professor
BSc (ENCB-IPN), MBiomedSc (UU), PhD (PolyU)
- ST528
- +852 2766 7093
- dalinda-isabel.sanchezvidana@polyu.edu.hk
- Traditional Chinese Medicine
ORCID ID
SCOPUS ID
Research IDBiography
Dr Sanchez is a biomedical scientist with international research experience in both academia and the pharmaceutical industry (Crucell, now Janssen Vaccines and Prevention, in The Netherlands and AstraZeneca in Sweden). She received her bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical industrial chemistry from the ENCB-IPN in Mexico. As an Utrecht Excellence Scholarship awardee, she completed her master’s degree in biomedical sciences at Utrecht University in The Netherlands. She received her PhD degree in biological sciences from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Dr Sanchez has participated in a wide variety of research projects, including those on depression, mental health, renal medicine, and viral vaccine development. As a postdoctoral fellow, she studied the crosstalk molecular mechanisms of receptor tyrosine kinases relevant to kidney pathologies in a collaborative project between the University of Gothenburg and AstraZeneca in Sweden. As a project leader, she has coordinated projects on mental health and developed digital mental health interventions in collaboration with universities in Switzerland, Hong Kong, and the Philippines.
Dr Sanchez is particularly interested in understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms of psychiatric and neurological disorders as well as the therapeutic effect of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Her research focuses on neurogenesis, a plasticity mechanism associated with the pathophysiology of neurological and affective disorders, and the effect of CAM on neurogenesis using animal models. She has participated in projects evaluating the effect of single drugs, hormones, aromatherapy, traditional Chinese medicine, and social isolation on neurogenesis and its role in mood and affective disorders. She has presented her work at international conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals such as Neuroscience, Frontiers in Neuroscience, Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and successfully obtained funding to conduct research on renal medicine and mental health.
Education and Academic Qualifications
• Master of Biomedical Sciences, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
• Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Industrial Chemistry, ENCB-IPN, Mexico
Research Interests
Research Output
- Cortés-Álvarez, N.Y., Saldivar, G.A., Sánchez-Vidaña, D.I., & Vuelvas-Olmos, C.R. (2022). Gender-based analysis of the association between mental health, sleep quality, aggression, and physical activity among university students during the COVID-19 outbreak. Psychological Reports (accepted).
- Ahorsu, D.K., Sánchez Vidaña, D.I., Lipardo, D., Shah, P.B., Cruz González, P., Shende, S., Gurung, S., Venkatesan, H., Duongthipthewa, A., Ansari, T.Q., & Schoeb, V. (2021). Effect of a peer‐led intervention combining mental health promotion with coping‐strategy‐based workshops on mental health awareness, help‐seeking behavior, and wellbeing among university students in Hong Kong. Int. J. Ment. Health Syst. 15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-020-00432-0
- Sánchez-Vidaña, D.I., Chow, J.K.W., Hu, S.Q., Lau, B.W.M., & Han, Y.-F. (2019). Molecular targets of Bis (7)-Cognitin and its relevance in neurological disorders: A systematic review. Front. Neurosci. 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2019.00445
- Sánchez-Vidaña, D.I., Po, K.K.-T., Fung, T.K.-H., Chow, J.K.-W., Lau, W.K.-W., So, P.-K., Lau, B.W.-M., & Tsang, H.W.-H. (2019). Lavender essential oil ameliorates depression-like behavior and increases neurogenesis and dendritic complexity in rats. Neurosci. Lett. 701, 180–192. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.NEULET.2019.02.042
- Liao, L.Y., Lau, B.W.M., Sánchez-Vidaña, D.I., & Gao, Q. (2019). Exogenous neural stem cell transplantation for cerebral ischemia. Neural Regen. Res. https://doi.org/10.4103/1673-5374.251188
- Sánchez-Vidaña, D.I., Ngai, S.P.-C., He, W., Chow, J.K.-W., Lau, B.W.-M., & Tsang, H.W.-H. (2017). The effectiveness of aromatherapy for depressive symptoms: A systematic review. Evidence-based Complement. Altern. Med. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/5869315
- Sánchez-Vidaña, D.I., Rajwani, R., & Wong, M.-S. (2017). The use of omic technologies applied to traditional Chinese medicine research. Evidence-based Complement. Altern. Med. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/6359730
- Po, K.K.-T., Leung, J.W.-H., Chan, J.N.-M., Fung, T.K.-H., Sánchez-Vidaña, D.I., Sin, E.L.-L., So, K.-F., Lau, B.W.-M., & Siu, A.M.-H. (2017). Protective effect of Lycium Barbarum polysaccharides on dextromethorphan-induced mood impairment and neurogenesis suppression. Brain Res. Bull. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainresbull.2017.06.014
- Chan, J.N.-M., Lee, J.C.-D., Lee, S.S.P., Hui, K.K.Y., Chan, A.H.L., Fung, T.K.-H., Sánchez-Vidaña, D.I., Lau, B.W.-M., & Ngai, S.P.-C. (2017). Interaction effect of social isolation and high dose corticosteroid on neurogenesis and emotional behavior. Front. Behav. Neurosci. 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00018
- Sánchez-Vidaña, D.I., Chan, J.N.-M., Chan, A.H.L., Hui, K.K.Y., Lee, S., Chan, H.-Y., Law, Y.S., Sze, M.Y., Tsui, W.-C.S., Fung, T.K.H., Lau, B.W.-M., & Lai, C.Y.Y. (2016). Repeated treatment with oxytocin promotes hippocampal cell proliferation, dendritic maturation and affects socio-emotional behavior. Neuroscience 333, 65–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.07.005
Grant for kidney disease and renal medicine research (postdoctoral fellow), 2019, Bertil and Berit Adström Research Foundation, Sweden.
Grant to sustain a suicide prevention project in Hong Kong as an awardee of the Best Practice Award for project implementation (project leader), 2017, WeCare Fund Grant, Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Grant awarded for the implementation of a suicide prevention project in Hong Kong (project leader), 2016, WeCare Fund Grant, Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Best Practice Award, 2nd runner-up for the implementation of a suicide prevention initiative (project leader), 2018 , WeCare Fund, Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Best Poster Award, 2nd place (Basic Neuroscience), certificate of outstanding poster presentation (PhD candidate), 2018, My Neuro 2017: Reconnecting the Synapses, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
