The Kobilka Institute of Innovative Drug Discovery (KIIDD) was initiated at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen on April 10th, 2017. It is named after Professor Brian Kobilka, 2012 Nobel laureate in Chemistry for his studies of G protein-coupled receptors. The Kobilka cryo-electron microscopy center (KEMC) was established in 2019 and is an advanced shared platform integrating research, teaching and technical services.  

With the financial funding support of government, KIIDD has created and equipped a state-of-the-art institute including KEMC, Advanced Mass Spectrometry facility (KMS) and other basic research platform. The researchers of the institute focus on the discovery of novel therapeutics for challenging membrane protein targets, including receptors and transporters. Besides research, KIIDD also aim to bring together scientists from academia, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry to share knowledge and ideas with the goal to discover novel therapeutics for unmet medical needs. This will be in the form of symposia. 

Aims and prospective of KIIDD are: 1. Recruiting a talented team of young scientists with a strong background in basic biomedical research who will make scientific breakthroughs that will lead to the development new therapeutics; 2. Training the next generation of scientists and bring the world's state-of-the-art technology to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in Shenzhen; 3. Carrying out basic scientific research and facilitating the industrialization of biomedical technology, stimulating the development of Shenzhen into a globally important and world-leading biopharmaceutical industry base, and establishing pharmaceutical companies with international competitiveness; 4. To promote CUHK-Shenzhen and other higher education institutions in Shenzhen to cultivate a new generation of innovative pharmaceutical research and industry professionals for China and Shenzhen.