On 7th September, the 2024 MED Research Day Forum was successfully held at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen [CUHK(SZ)]. The event was organized by CUHK(SZ) School of MEDICINE (MED) and sponsored by the Ganghong Young Scholar Development Fund, attracting over 300 faculty members and students to this academic feast.

Event Highlights

This year’s event featured a keynote speech by Prof. Zhenghong Yuan, Deputy Party Secretary of Fudan University and Secretary of the Party Committee of Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University. The forum included 21 oral presentations by young scholars and 33 poster displays. In addition to the young scholars from CUHK(SZ), young scholars from Imperial College London and the University of Hong Kong also participated. Additionally, the forum hosted the inaugural Young Scholars Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition (Inno-Roadshow), with four student-led teams participating. The forum showcased the enthusiasm, academic achievements, and entrepreneurial spirit of the School of MEDICINE’s young scholars.

Event Opening

The event was hosted by Mr. Hongbo Liang, a PhD student in Biological Sciences program from the Class of 2023 at Minerva College. Prof. Richard Ye, the Associate Dean (Biomedical Research and Innovation) of School of MEDICINE, delivered the opening remarks and announced the start of the event.

Prof. Davy Cheng, Dean of the School of MEDICINE, delivered a welcome speech. He stated that the MED Research Day is a unique platform for young scholars of the School of MEDICINE to exchange research outcomes. He was excited to see so many young scholars participating in the event to share their achievements. He encouraged everyone to fully exchange ideas, spark collaborations, and continuously showcase the research creativity of the School of MEDICINE’s young scholars to advance the development of a holistic, lifelong healthcare system.

Deputy Director Gong Rui from the University’s Research Administration Office also attended and delivered a speech. He mentioned that the MED Research Day is a representative scientific and academic event of the School of MEDICINE, and he was delighted to see young scholars continuously producing high-quality academic outcomes. He hoped the young scholars would fully present themselves at the event and enjoy this academic platform.

Prof. Zhenghong Yuan, the keynote speaker, delivered a presentation titled “Scientific Response to Infectious Diseases and Challenges in the Cure of Chronic Hepatitis B”. He discussed various large-scale infectious diseases in human history and shared the research and findings from the Ministry of Education/National Health Commission/Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology in Hepatitis Viruses, which he leads. He also responded to questions from students and faculty. At the end of his presentation, Prof. Yuan expressed hope for future collaborations between CUHK(SZ) and Fudan University Shanghai Medical College. Prof. Ye especially thanked Prof. Yuan for his keynote speech, despite experiencing a lengthy 11-hour flight delay due to Typhoon Yagi, and presented Prof. Yuan with a commemorative plaque as a keynote speaker.

 

01  Main Session

The 2024 MED Research Day featured 21 presentations by young scholars, divided into four themes: Neuroscience and Behavior, Structural Biology and Protein Mechanisms, Biotechnology and Biosensing, and Health and Disease Research. Additionally, a special session was held to showcase the research outcomes of young scholars funded by the Ganghong Young Scholar Development Fund, which is dedicated to nurturing young scholars at CUHK(SZ) in biomedical and health sciences research and innovation.

 

02  Ganghong Young Scholar Fund Session

The special session began with opening remarks from Professor Richard Ye, who reviewed the Ganghong Group’s support for CUHK(SZ) MED students and young scholars over the past five years. This support includes 96 instances of scholarships, RA subsidies, summer TA grants, and academic research activities, with 12 students receiving PhD degrees under the fund. Dr. Richard Li, Secretary-General of the CUHK(SZ) Foundation, and Prof. Richard Ye jointly presented a certificate of appreciation to Ms. Liu Xiaofang, Vice President of the Ganghong Group, for the kind support.

 

03  Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition

To encourage young scholars to translate basic research into practical outcomes, the 2024 MED Research Day hosted the first Young Scholars Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition (Inno-Roadshow). Four teams competed, and Dr. Guohua Yang, Assistant to the President of the University, was invited as a judge and delivered a speech. Dr. Yang stated that a research-intensive university cannot exist without basic research, nor without angel investment to convert research outcomes into productivity. Young scholars are like the rising sun, and those with innovative and entrepreneurial awareness represent the future and hope of the nation. Dr. Yang encouraged participants to showcase their talents and wisdom and hoped to see them bring more surprises to the world.

The competition attracted teams of young, innovative talents from the School of MEDICINE, including “Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Technology Development” team from Prof. Gang Chen’s lab, “Drug Hemolytic Toxicity Detection Based on Capacitive Coupled Non-contact Conductivity Sensor” Team from Prof. Chenzhong Li’s lab, “Pyloric Explorer” Team from Prof. Guozhen Liu’s lab," and “Anti-inflammatory Peptide Shield” Team from Prof. Richard Ye’s lab.

 

Awards Ceremony

The event presented several awards, including: 1) three awards from the Postgraduate Student Affairs Office: the Annual Research Awards for PhD students, the Ganghong PhD Graduate Award, and the Best TA Awards; 2) the Best Poster and Best Oral Presentation Awards from the Academic Panel of Research Day; and 3) the Prize from the Inno-Roadshow jury.

Award winners are as follows:

2023-2024 Annual Research Awards for PhD students

First Prize: Qi Pan

Second Prize: Yezhou Liu

Third Prize: Yixian Huang

2023-2024 Ganghong PhD Graduate Award

Dr. Shiyu Liang

2023-2024 Best TA Awards

First Prize: Peiyi Xu

Second Prize: Luowei Yuan

Third Prize: Tian Yu

Academic Poster Award

First Prize: Yezhou Liu

Second Prize: Yiwei Zeng

Third Prize: Shiyu Liang and Yuanzhengyang Long

Oral Presentation Award

First Prize: Yezhou Liu

Second Prize: Yi Duan

Third Prize: Xinyi Mai

Young Scholars Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition

Best Team: Anti-inflammatory Peptide Shield

Best Technological Foundation: Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Technology Development

Most Innovative Idea: Pyloric Explorer

Best Business Plan: Drug Hemolytic Toxicity Detection Based on Capacitive Coupled Non-contact Conductivity Sensor

After the awards ceremony, Prof. Richard Ye sincerely thanked all the faculty and students of the School of MEDICINE who participated in the 2024 MED Research Day, once again expressing gratitude to the Ganghong Young Scholar Development Fund for its strong support of the School of MEDICINE’s young scholars, and especially thanking the organizers, volunteers, and colleagues who worked hard to organize the event.

A huge thank you to all the volunteers who made the event possible!

Jingwen Cao, Yunlin Chi, Qingyang Han, Haipeng Hu, Shu Li, Xinyu Li, Hongbo Liang, Yezhou Liu, Zijian Mai, Yue Wang, Jia Xie, Qingyan Xu

 

Souvenir

Event T-Shirt and Tote bag

Brochure