Programs in Biological and Medical Sciences
Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, HKU
1. Graduate Students,
You are invited to apply for enrolment in a graduate degree program (MPhil or PhD) in the Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, The University of Hong Kong.
The Department is responsible for teaching and research programs related to Pediatric Health Sciences in the Faculty of Medicine. The missions of the Department are for the advancement of knowledge, teaching of medicine, and betterment of health care.
On the clinical side, we have a full team of subspecialty divisions to serve the public as a referral center and to carry out the mission of teaching.
On the academic side, we have a full range of research programs including cancer biology, cardiac physiology, developmental and molecular biology, endocrinology, immunology, infectious disease and virology, and neuroscience. At present, we have more than 20 very talented graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in the Department, in addition to many dedicated staff scientists and research assistants. Our teachers have an international and diverse background. They received their education and research training from countries including Australia, Canada, Hong Kong SAR, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States.
We will be moving into the-state-of-the-art Clinical Sciences Complex in this spring. This newly constructed complex is located atop of Sassoon Road, adjacent to the teaching hospital QMH and overlooking the beautiful Lamma Island Channel and South China Sea. It consists of lecture theatres, medical library, student areas, and research facilities. In addition to wet lab, the complex is fully equipped with all range of support and core services for modern biomedical research.
Contact: Professor Allan S. Lau,
Research Committee, Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
asylau@hkucc.hku.hk
or leave a message to Professor Lau's secretary at 2855-4091.
Please visit our Website at http://www.hku.hk/paed
List of Principal Investigators, their research interests and representative publications:
Professor Godfrey Chi-fung CHAN
· Cancer biology: Mechanism of neuronal
cell apoptosis and differentiation
· Effects of anti-GD2 and arsenic trioxide
in childhood neuroblastoma.
· Study of in vitro immunological and cytotoxic
effects of Reishi and Reisei spores
· Spectrokaryotyping of recurrent chromosomal
aberrations in childhood leukaemia.
Publications:
Wan TSK, Ma SK, Chan GCF, Ching LM, Ha SY, Chan LC. Complex cytogenetic abnormalities
in T-lymphoblastic lymphoma : resolution by spectral karyotyping. Cancer
Genet Cytogenet 2000:118;24-27.
Chan GCF, Leung YL, Shing MMK, Luk CW, Ling SL, Lee ACW. Does a "false negative" MIBG scan predicting a better outcome in neuroblastoma patient. Med Pediatr Oncol 2001;37(2):155
Chan GCF, Chik KW, Luk CW, Ling SC, Lee ACW, Ha SY, Shing MMK, Yuen HL, Li CK. The Ewing's sarcoma/Peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumour in Chinese children: A review of the Hong Kong experiences. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol 2000;22:381
Dr Sophelia Hoi-Shan CHAN
· Recruitment for Research Assistant I/II
· Recruitment for MPhil Students
Invitation of MPhil students interested in either clinical or scientific research for paediatric patients with rare neurological diseases or neuromuscular diseases. For candidates that are interested, he or she can contact Dr SHS CHAN at sophehs@hku.hk.
Dr Siu-yuen CHAN
· Functional characterization of genes involved
in developmental biology of the heart
· Signal transduction pathways of RET oncogene.
· Use of transgenic mice to study the regulation
of epidermal growth factor.
Publications:
Overexpression of epidermal growth factor induced hypospermatogenesis in
transgenic mice, R.W.C. Wong, R.W.P. Kwan, P.H.S. Mak, K.K.L. Mak, M.H.
Sham and S.Y. Chan (2000) J. Biol. Chem., 275 (24):18297-18301.
Expression of epidermal growth factor in transgenic mice causes growth
retardation, S.Y. Chan and R.W.C. Wong (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275 (49):38693-38698.
Dr Pik-to CHEUNG
· Molecular and cellular mechanisms involved
in hypoxic-ischaemic and hyperbilirubinaemic neural injuries, and motor neuron
degeneration and regeneration; with emphasis on studying differential gene
expressions, and adopting genetic manipulations to explore and test novel
therapeutic strategies for the stated disorders.
· Molecular genetics of sexual differentiation
disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes mellitus and growth disorders.
Professor Yiu-fai CHEUNG
· Acoustic quantification and colour tissue
Doppler in assessment of congenital heart defects.
· Non-invasive assessment of arterial distensibility
and endothelial function.
· Outcome studies of congenital heart disease.
Publications:
Cheung YF, Taylor MJO, Fisk NM, Redington AN, Gardiner HM. Fetal origins of
reduced arterial distensibility in the donor twin in twin-twin transfusion
syndrome. Lancet 2000;355:1157-1158.
Cheung YF, Clement SW Chiu, TC Yung, Adolphus KT Chau. Impact of
preoperative aortic cusp prolapse on long-term outcome after surgical
closure of subarterial ventricular septal defect.
Dr Alan Kwok-shing CHIANG
· My lab focuses on the understanding of host-virus interactions in primary and persistent Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection and on the elucidation of pathogenic mechanisms of EBV in lymphoid and epithelial cancers.
· Research programs include:
(i) Role of adaptive immune responses in the control of EBV: longitudinal study of viral loads, humoral and CD8+ T cell responses in patients with primary EBV infection, post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders and EBV-associated haemophagocytic syndrome
(ii) Sequence analysis of EBV genomes in EBV infection subjects and EBV-positive tumours
(iii) Action of novel targeted compounds in inducing lytic cycle of EBV in cancer cells and investigation of mechanistic pathways of viral lytic cycle induction
Publications
(Selected publications of the PI in the recent three years; *, corresponding author)
Hui KF, Ho DN, Tsang CM, Middeldorp JM, Tsao GSW, Chiang AKS*: Activation of lytic cycle of Epstein-Barr virus by suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid leads to apoptosis and tumor growth suppression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Int J Cancer 131: 1930-1940, 2012
Kwok H, Tong AH, Lin CH, Lok S, Farrell PJ, Kwong DL, Chiang AKS*: Genomic sequencing and comparative analysis of Epstein-Barr virus genome isolated from primary nasopharyngeal carcinoma biopsy. PLoS One 7: e36939, 2012
Ning RJ, Xu XQ, Chan KH, Chiang AKS*: Long term carriers generate Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-specific CD4+ and CD8+ polyfunctional T cell responses which show immunodominance hierarchies of EBV proteins. Immunology 134: 161-171, 2011
Gregorovic G, Bosshard R, Karlstegl CE, White RE, Pattle S, Chiang AKS, Dittrich-Breiholz O, Kracht M, Russ R, Farrell PJ: Cellular gene expression that correlates with EBER expression in Epstein-Barr virus-infected lymphoblastoid cell lines. J Virol 85: 3535-3545, 2011
Hui KF, Chiang AKS*: Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid induces viral lytic cycle in Epstein-Barr virus-positive epithelial malignancies and medicates enhanced cell death. Int J Cancer 126: 2479-2489, 201
· Recruitment for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows
· Assistant Research Officer
Dr Susan Shui-seng CHIU
· Disease burden and Epidemiology of respiratory
viruses in children.
· Human herpesvirus-6 & -7 infection
- clinical and epidemiology aspects
· Patterns of antimicrobial resistance -
Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes in HK
Publications:
Chiu SS, Ho PL, Chow FKH, Yuen KY, Lau, YL. Nasopharyngeal Carriage of Antimicrobial-Resistant
Streptococcus pneumoniae among Young Children Attedning 79 Kindergartens and
Day Care Centers in Hong Kong. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2001;45(10):2765-2770
Chiu SS, Tse CYC, Lau YL, Peiris M. Influenza A Infection is an Important Cause of Febrile Seizures. Pediatrics 2001;108(4):e63
Professor Allan S. LAU
· Immune Response to Infectious Pathogens
and Applications to Biotechnology
· Molecular Mechanisms of Virus- and TNF-induced
Apoptosis: PKR and IRF.
· Biology of Cytokines and Interferons:
signaling pathways and gene regulation.
Publications
Yeung MC, Lau AS. Tumor suppressor p53 as a component of the tumor
necrosis factor induced, protein kinase PKR-mediated apoptotic pathway in
human promonocytic U937 cells. Journal of Biological Chemistry 1998;
273: 25198-25202.
Yeung MC, Chang D, Camantique R, Lau AS. Inhibitory role of the host
apoptogenic gene PKR in the establishment of persistent infection by enecephalomyocarditis
virus in U937 cells. Proceedings National Academy of Sciences USA.
1999; 96: 11860-11865. with Editorial Commentary.
USA Patent #5,840,565, Nov 1998 & Dec 2000. Production of Viral
Vaccines in Cell Cultures.
PI: Allan S. Lau
Professor Yu-Lung LAU
· Susceptibility genes in hepatitis B virus
infection/disease and lupus
Publications
Ip WK, Chan SY, Lau CS, Lau YL. Association of systemic lupus erythematosus
with promoter polymorphisms of the mannose-binding lectin gene. Arthritis
& Rheumatism 1998;41(9):1663-1668
Lau YL, Lau CS, Chan SY, Karlberg J. Mannose-binding protein in Chinese
patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis & Rheumatism
1996;39(4):706-708.
Professor Virginia Chun-nei WONG
· Neurohabilitation and Autism Research
Program
· Molecular Diagnostics for Brain Diseases
in Children
· Traditional Chinese Medicine (Acupuncture)
and Medical Physiology Research Program
Dr. Wenwei TU
· Innate and adaptive immune responses
to human and avian influenza viruses, and cytomegalovirus (CMV) in human and
mouse models.
· The development of antigen-specific T
cell responses in children.
· CMV immunity and solid organ transplant
rejection.
· Biology of regulatory T cells (Treg) in
transplantation and autoimmune diseases.
Dr. Wanling YANG
· Postdoctoral Fellow in Human Genetics by WL Yang
· Student-recruitment
