News & Events

In partnership with the Alzheimer's Association of the United States, members of the SKL organized the Croucher Advanced Study Institute “Alzheimer's Dementia in a Global Context” at HKUST from 10 to 13 January 2015. The purpose of the workshop is to showcase new advances in Alzheimer's disease (AD) research, while hosting the event at an Asian venue provides the opportunity to review the similarities and differences between Eastern and Western perspectives on the disease. AD experts from Hong Kong, China, Europe, and North America were invited to give lectures about their latest discoveries, discuss their cultural and scientific experiences, review the most up-to-date developments, offer their views on current problems, and engage in three days of intensive discussion. This unique format of the workshop provides a platform to promote Hong Kong's cutting-edge biomedical research as well as highlight its role in the global quest for developing effective medicines to help improve the quality of life of AD patients.

Prof. Thomas Rando, Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, was invited to HKUST on 6 January 2015 to give an IAS Distinguished Lecture entitled “Manipulating Growth Factors for Brain Repair”. The event was co-organized with the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), Division of Life Science, Center for Stem Cell Research, and attracted a full house of over 100 participants.

Prof. Donna Ferriero, Chair of Pediatrics and Physician-in-Chief of Benioff Children's Hospital, University of California at San Francisco, was invited to give an IAS Distinguished Lecture entitled “Manipulating Growth Factors for Brain Repair” on 5 January 2015 at HKUST. Prof. Ferriero is a Member of the Institute of Medicine; and Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The event was co-organized with the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), Division of Life Science, and Center for Stem Cell Research, and attracted a full house of over 100 participants.

The Third Joint Meeting and Symposium between the SKL of Molecular Neuroscience (Hong Kong) the SKL of Neuroscience (Shanghai) was held from 8 to 9 October 2014 in Shanghai. Through a program of presentations and panel discussions, the joint meeting offered the ideal environment for scientific exchange. It also laid down the foundation for research excellence and strengthened collaborative efforts between the two SKLs.

Prof. Thomas Südhof, the Avram Goldstein Professor of the School of Medicine at Stanford University and the 2013 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, was invited to HKUST on 4 July 2014 to give a Nobel Lecture entitled “Towards a Molecular Definition of Synapse Formation: Neurexins, Neuroligins and More”. The event was co-organized with the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) with sponsorship from the Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation, and attracted a full house of over 100 participants from academia and industry.

The SKL held the Second Academic Advisory Committee Meeting at HKUST on 4 July 2014. Three advisors, Prof. Aaron Ciechanover (Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Israel), Prof. Martha Constantine-Paton (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA), and Dr. Ronald Lindsay (Zebra Biologics Inc., USA), attended the meeting. During the one-day review meeting, the SKL team presented their latest research findings to the Committee. The advisors provided strategic and scientific guidance to the SKL team, and evaluated the scientific merits of the research programs.