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The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), and the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Science (Harvard SEAS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today (December 2) to set up a Laboratory for Instrumentation for Precision Medicine.

Professor Christopher Chao, Dean of Engineering of HKU and Dr. Fawwaz Habbal, Executive Dean for Education and Research, Harvard SEAS officiated at the signing ceremony.

The event was witnessed by The Hon Mrs Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR); Mr Kurt W. Tong, Consul General of the United States to Hong Kong and Macau; Professor Zhang Xiang, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKU; Mr Nicholas W Yang, the Secretary for Innovation and Technology of the HKSAR Government; and Professor David Weitz, Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics and Applied Physics, Harvard SEAS.

HKU Faculty of Engineering and Harvard SEAS aim to establish a laboratory focused on medical instrumentation for microfluidic-based diagnostics, drug delivery and sensor development in the age of precision medicine, in response to the HKSAR Government’s initiative to turn Hong Kong into a global hub of innovation and technology, particularly in the areas of healthcare technologies.

The Hon Mrs Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of the HKSAR, said: “The HKSAR Government is committed to attracting world-leading research institutions to conduct collaborative research. The signing of the MoU between the HKU Faculty of Engineering and Harvard SEAS, which signifies enhanced collaboration and cross-fertilisation in the research area of precision medicine in Hong Kong, is a very significant step in this endeavour. I wish the two universities great success in the collaboration.”

U.S. Consul General Kurt W. Tong said: “The U.S. Consulate General welcomes this important and positive milestone in U.S.-Hong Kong science and technology cooperation.”

“Today’s memorandum brings together two universities that are known and respected around the world for our commitment to pursuing world-class, pioneering research,” Professor Xiang Zhang conveyed in the ceremony.

Precision medicine (PM) is an emerging field of research by scientists. Innovation and technological development in the area will open up a new paradigm in healthcare leading to the customisation of healthcare, with medical decisions, treatments, practices, or products being tailored to individuals.

The Laboratory will be organised into themes based on technologies that HKU and Harvard SEAS are pioneering and share interests and competitive edge in, such as microfluidics, drug formulations, sensors and detectors.

Dr Fawwaz Habbal expressed that “HKU has excellent educational programs and first class research capabilities. Our collaboration will enable the talented engineers and scientists in both Universities to create significant innovative instrumentations for precision medicine, and will facilitate the design of devices and treatments that will impact health care across the world.”

Professor Christopher Chao, Dean of Engineering of HKU, commented that “the signing of MoU is the first but promising step forward for the two institutions. It is expected that by joining the strengths of the two academia, a strong platform will be built for translating fundamental breakthroughs and more synergistic activities will be conducted for the advancement of healthcare-related technologies that can lead to strong technology transfer value and societal impact.”

In the coming months, HKU Faculty of Engineering and Harvard SEAS intend to submit a proposal to the HKSAR Government under the recently announced Health@InnoHK research cluster initiative, with a plan to establish a research laboratory in the Hong Kong Science Park.

More about the Partnership and the Laboratory
The focus of the Laboratory will be instrumentation for diagnostics, drug delivery and biosensors in precision medicine and other healthcare-related areas. The Laboratory will be organised into themes based on technologies that HKU and Harvard SEAS share interests and competitive edge in, such as microfluidics, drug formulations, sensors and detectors. The Laboratory will provide a platform for translating fundamental breakthroughs and advances into commercialisable ideas. The strengths of Harvard SEAS and HKU will be harnessed to breed innovation, creativity, new translational developments and new high tech jobs in Hong Kong.

About HKU Faculty of Engineering
The Faculty of Engineering is one of the founding Faculties of The University of Hong Kong established in 1912. Since its foundation, the Faculty kept pace with developments in the engineering world and is always in the forefront of engineering research, and evolved into one of the largest Faculty in the University with five departments providing undergraduate, postgraduate and research degrees in a wide range of important fields of modern engineering, technology and computer science. The Faculty attracts the best students from the territory to study a wide range of engineering programmes. Since its foundation, the Faculty groomed more than 16,000 first-degree engineering graduates and over 10,000 postgraduate research and taught masters graduates as at 2017. Many of its graduates hold senior and prestigious positions in the engineering industry, commercial sector, education field and the government. For more information, visit https://engg.hku.hk

About the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Science (Harvard SEAS)
Harvard SEAS serves as the connector and integrator of Harvard’s teaching and research efforts in engineering, applied sciences, and technology. Engineering and applied sciences at Harvard have a long and distinguished history, beginning with the creation of the Lawrence Scientific School in 1847. In 2007, in recognition of the growing preeminence of engineering and applied sciences, Harvard established the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences into a school. Harvard SEAS faculty have won awards including the Nobel Prize, the MacArthur Award, the Guggenheim Fellowship, and more. Harvard SEAS faculty include 18 US National Academy of Engineering members, 19 US National Academy of Sciences members, 29 American Academy of Arts and Sciences members, and 5 US National Academy of Medicine members. For more information, visit http://seas.harvard.edu.

Media enquiry:
Faculty of Engineering, HKU
Ms Celia Lee (Tel: 3917-8519 / Email: leecelia@hku.hk)
Communication and Public Affairs Office, HKU
Ms Melanie Wan (Tel: 2859 2600 / Email: melwkwan@hku.hk)
Ms Rashida Suffiad (Tel: 2857 8555 / Email: rsuffiad@hku.hk)