Media

The Second HKU Centenary Distinguished Lecture

18 Nov 2010

 

The University of Hong Kong will be celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2011-2012. As part of the celebrations, a series of Centenary Distinguished Lectures will be held at HKU, featuring Nobel Laureates from a wide range of disciplines. Members of the media are cordially invited to cover the event, the details are:

Day 1 event: Media Interview and Lecture:

"HIV/ AIDS - a Scientific and Human Adventure in Response to an Emerging Epidemic"
by Professor Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, Nobel Laureate 2008

The lecture will be delivered by Professor Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2008. She was the first scientist to identify the HIV retrovirus which enabled the worldwide study of treatment and preventive measures to AIDS after such discovery.

In the lecture, Professor Françoise Barré-Sinoussi will describe how the emergence of HIV shocked the modern Medicine in the middle of 20th century. She will explain how the scientific, clinical and patient communities, supported by local authorities and international organizations are mobilized to fight against AIDS. The lecture will be followed by a panel discussion.

Media Interview Session
Date: November 22, 2010 (Monday)
Time: 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Venue: Alumni Chamber, 7/F, William MW Mong Block, No.21 Sassoon Road
Interviewee:
- Professor Françoise Barré-Sinoussi
- Dr. Zhiwei Chen, Director of AIDS Institute, The University of Hong Kong Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine

* A shuttle bus is arranged to pick up the press from Admiralty for the interview. Members of the press please wait at the bus stop near Café de Coral of Admiralty Centre (Exit A of the Admiralty MTR Station). The bus will depart at 2:30 pm sharp

Centenary Distinguished Lecture by Professor Françoise Barré-Sinoussi
Date: November 22, 2010 (Monday)
Time:
5:00pm - 6:00pm Lecture by Professor Françoise Barré-Sinoussi
6:00pm - 7:00pm Panel Discussion
Venue: Rayson Huang Theatre, the University of Hong Kong
Moderator: Professor Lee Sum-ping, Dean of Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, HKU
Panelists:
- Dr. Leong Che-hung, Council Chairman of HKU and Chairman of Hong Kong AIDS Foundation
- Dr. Robert Peckham, Co Director of Centre for the Humanities and Medicine, HKU
- Dr. Loretta Wong, Chief Executive of AIDS Concern

Day 2 event: Lunch

Lunch with a Nobel Laureate

On November 23, a group of 20 senior secondary school students and medical undergraduates will meet Professor Françoise Barré-Sinoussi for "Lunch with a Nobel Laureate".

As an extension of the Centenary Distinguished Lectures, the "Lunch with a Nobel Laureate" aims to foster Knowledge Exchange between university and secondary schools, and help students broaden their horizons by meeting face-to-face with some of the most brilliant minds in the world today.

Date: November 23, 2010 (Tuesday)
Time: 12:30pm - 2:30pm
Venue: 1 University Drive, University Lodge, the University of Hong Kong

* A shuttle bus is arranged to pick up the press from Admiralty for the event. Members of the press please wait at the bus stop near Café de Coral of Admiralty Centre (Exit A of the Admiralty MTR Station). The bus will depart at 12:00 noon sharp

For media enquiries, please contact Miss Sam Kwong (Tel: 2819 9305) or Miss Gillian Keung (Tel: 2809 5102) of The University of Hong Kong Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine.

About the interviewees

About Professor Françoise Barré-Sinoussi
Françoise Barré-Sinoussi is a Professor at the Institut Pasteur and Research Director at the INSERM in France. She is involved in retrovirology research since the early 1970's. She is the first author of the publication that reported in 1983 the discovery of a new human retrovirus, later named HIV. The research programmes of her team are focused on mechanisms required to induce a protection against HIV/SIV infection and/or against AIDS in human and non human primates.

She has been strongly implicated in promoting integration between HIV/AIDS research and actions in resource limited countries, in particular through the Pasteur International Network and the ANRS research programs in Africa and Asia.

She is author and co-author of 249 original publications and of 120 articles in book reviews. She is member of a number of scientific committees in France and elsewhere. In June 2006, she was elected as an IAS Governing Council member in the European Region and in July 2010, it was announced that she will be the next President of the IAS in 2012.

She received more than 10 national or international awards, including the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2008 together with Professor Luc Montagnier for her contributions to HIV/AIDS. She was elected member of the French Academy of Science in February 2009.

About Dr. Chen Zhi-wei, Director of AIDS Institute, The University of Hong Kong Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine
Dr Zhiwei Chen is the founding director of AIDS Institute at the University of Hong Kong Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine (http://www.hku.hk/aidsinst). Established in 2007, the Institute is committed to making scientific discoveries and providing solutions to end the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Activities in the Institute include: (1) basic research to examine the virological and immunological mechanisms underlying HIV pathogenesis; (2) new conception, design, preparation and laboratory testing of vaccine candidates for HIV and other infectious diseases; and (3) monitoring the evolution of HIV epidemic in China including Hong Kong and surrounding regions.

Dr Chen's major research interests are in the development of HIV-1 vaccines and of a relevant animal model for vaccine testing and pathogenesis studies. His current focus is the generation and characterization of multivalent SIV and HIV vaccines using a live modified vaccinia Tiantan (MVTT) strain.