News & Stories

An interdisciplinary team of scientists from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has discovered the mechanism of how human brains turn on and off neuronal activities, providing an important foundation to understand a wide range of neurologic conditions such as epilepsy, Parkinson's disease and ataxia-telangiectasia diseases. “As with all things in life, healthy brain function depends on a balance of neuronal activities. We think of our brains as active - moving a leg and saying a word are all "active" events, but it is just as important that our brains be able to stop these actions,” said Cheng Aifang, a postgraduate student from the Division of Life Science who made the discovery under the guidance of the division’s head and Chair Professor Karl Herrup. “Yet it was not clear how our brains actually perform this go/stop function until now.”

A research team led by awards-winning neuroscientist and structural biologist Prof Zhang Mingjie of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has recently reached a breakthrough unveiling the fundamental mechanism that causes schizophrenia and other serious psychiatric conditions.  Such discovery may potentially lead to the development of new treatments and drugs for the mental disorders. At present, there are about 40,000 diagnosed schizophrenic patients in Hong Kong [1].

PowerSearch got a new look and new functions this summer. Not only at HKUST, but at all 8 UGC-funded university libraries (known as JULAC) as well. We have all moved onto one single online platform for you to find, access, retrieve, and request resources from the 8 UGC libraries. The aggregate collection of materials from all JULAC Libraries is known as HKALL.

Researchers at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have developed a new generation of microscope, which not only could capture 3D live cell videos, but the resulted images are also of much higher quality, greatly enhancing the accuracy and the scope of research on cell biology. While an existing confocal microscope can also capture 3D bio-images, the laser light hitting on the sample is typically one million times that of summer sunlight, such intense light exposure inevitably disrupts cell activities and eventually kills the cell, posing limits to the study of cell biology.

A research team led by Prof SUN Fei, Assistant Professor of Chemical & Biological Engineering at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), has created a new protein-based stimuli-responsive smart hydrogel that could open doors for future material biology and biomedical applications. Hydrogels, also known as soft matter in the medical world, are leading materials for biomedical applications such as drug delivery and stem cell therapy. But traditional hydrogels, used in products such as facial masks and contact lenses, are made up of either synthetic polymers or biological extracts such as animal collagen, are likely to cause allergies. They cannot fully mimic the complex biological environment needed for cell growth and development.

If you’ve ever struggled with trying to pick up tofu with chopsticks, think how difficult it must be for the steely grip of a mechanical robot.  But thanks to some great teamwork and a lot of persistence, that’s exactly the challenge recently solved by five Mechanical Engineering students at HKUST, an achievement that has won them the 2017 President’s Cup for excellence in research and innovation. The team’s ‘Smart Soft-End Effector’ is a flexible robotic gripper that can safely handle the most delicate items, offering strong potential for commercial development.  The idea was initiated in 2015 by Alex Tse Yu, a final year engineering student, who has long been interested in soft robotics and created a prototype.

The use of the Scholarly Publications Database (SPD), which showcases the research output of the University, registered a 30% increase with 1.78 million page views recorded in 2016-17.

Researchers at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have developed an air purification system that removes up to 99.999 per cent of airborne bacteria and viruses, including influenza (H1N1, H3N2), EV71 and MERS-Cov (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus) that had caused hundreds of deaths across the Middle East and Asia two years ago. “Our technology effectively combats and inhibits the growth of bacteria, germs or viruses that cause respiratory diseases, offering solutions to protect one's health,” Prof Yeung King-lun, Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies from HKUST School of Engineering, said. “We must extend our heartfelt gratitude to Haven of Hope Christian Service, which has put our system on trial in its Holistic Care Centre for 18 months. This is the result of long cooperation among HKUST, industry and the government.”