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Professor So Kwok-fai, Jessie Ho Professor in Neuroscience, Chair Professor of Anatomy, Department of Ophthalmology of Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, HKU has been named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.

Professor So Kwok-fai of the Department of Ophthalmology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong (HKU), has been named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).

Election to NAI Fellow status is a high professional distinction accorded to academic inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society.

Professor So Kwok-fai currently serves as Jessie Ho Professor in Neuroscience, Chair Professor of Anatomy, Department of Ophthalmology of Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, HKU.  Professor So is one of the pioneers in the field of axonal regeneration in visual system, and he is a leader in the area of neuroprotection and neuroregeneration of the mammalian optic nerve, spinal cord and brain.  He is Co-Chairman of the Board of Director of the China Spinal Cord Injury Network and Director of Hong Kong Spinal Cord Fund (HKSCIFund).  He is the recipient of China National Natural Science Award, China Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Contribution Award, Rick Hansen Difference Maker Award, Everfront Award for Stem Cells Research.  He has published 303 articles, two books and 70 review articles.  Other than serving as Editor-in-Chief of Neural Regeneration Research, Professor So is also member of editorial board of 14 journals, including Cell Transplantation, Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience and Chinese Journal of Neuroscience.  He is a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences as well.

Professor So holds 4 U.S. patents, 16 international patents and 3 China patents, with 16 patents in the field of hemostasis (stop bleeding) and sealant (control leaking).  His most significant patents are Compositions and Methods for Promoting Hemostasis and Other Physiological Activities and Compositions and Methods for Affecting Movement of Contaminants, Bodily Fluids or Other Entities, and/or Affecting Other Physiological Conditions, and they have been licensed to Arch Therapeutics.  These patents describe compositions that include nanoscale-structured materials or precursors thereof (e.g. self-assembling peptides), as well as methods for using the compositions to promote hemostasis, to protect the skin or wounds from contamination.  It is significant because it can be developed into a new product that can seal and protect leaking and bleeding tissue.  This may transform the landscape of interventional healthcare.

  “I feel very honoured to be elected as the Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.  I hope this will encourage more scientists in Hong Kong to pay attention to invention and translational research.  I would like to thank the members of my research team for making the great effort in the past years.  This is an honour for all members of my team,” said Professor So.

The 168 named today bring the total number of NAI Fellows to 582, representing more than 190 prestigious research universities and governmental and non-profit research institutions.  The 2015 Fellows account for more than 5,300 issued U.S. patents, bringing the collective patents held by all NAI Fellows to more than 20,000.  These academic luminaries have made a significant impact to the economy through innovative discoveries, creating startup companies, and enhancing the culture of academic invention.

The academic inventors and innovators elected to the rank of NAI Fellow are named inventors on U.S. patents and were nominated by their peers for outstanding contributions to innovation in areas such as patents and licensing, innovative discovery and technology, significant impact on society, and support and enhancement of innovation.

The 2015 NAI Fellows Selection Committee included 17 members, comprising NAI Fellows, recipients of U.S. National Medals, National Inventors Hall of Fame inductees, members of the National Academies and senior officials from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Association of American Universities, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Association of University Technology Managers, and National Inventors Hall of Fame.

The NAI Fellows will be inducted on April 15, 2016, as part of the Fifth Annual Conference of the National Academy of Inventors at the USPTO in Alexandria, Virginia.

The Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, HKU
The Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong is the oldest local institution of higher education.  It was founded as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese in 1887, was renamed as the Hong Kong College of Medicine in 1907 and became the premier founding Faculty when the University was established in 1911.  From its modest beginnings, the Faculty has grown to become the largest faculty of the University, with over 400 full-time academic and academic-related staff and 800 research and research-related support personnel.  The undergraduate student population is about 2,900 and postgraduates number 1,500.  The Faculty is comprised of 14 departments, School of Biomedical Sciences, School of Chinese Medicine, School of Nursing, School of Public Health and a number of strategic centres of research excellence.  For more information, please visit www.med.hku.hk.

The National Academy of Inventors®
The National Academy of Inventors® is a 501(c)(3) non-profit member organization comprised of U.S. and international universities, and governmental and non-profit research institutions, with over 3,000 individual inventor members and Fellows spanning more than 200 institutions, and growing rapidly. It was founded in 2010 to recognize and encourage inventors with patents issued from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourage the disclosure of intellectual property, educate and mentor innovative students, and translate the inventions of its members to benefit society. The NAI edits the multidisciplinary journal, Technology and Innovation, published by Cognizant Communication Corporation (NY). www.academyofinventors.org.

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