ORT Newsletter

40th Anniversary of CUHK Faculty of Medicine

The Faculty of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CU Medicine) commemorated its 40th anniversary with a spectacular gala dinner on the evening of 13 January. This milestone event, attended by around 2,000 distinguished guests, including government officials, community leaders and members of the CU Medicine community, highlighted the Faculty’s impressive achievements and vision since its establishment in 1981.

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The department proudly announces the appointment of Dr. Adam Lau as a Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr . Adam Lau completed his MBBS and intercalated BSc (Orthopaedic Science) at the University College London Medical School. He has a keen interest in the musculoskeletal system and was inspired by the impact of orthopaedic surgery on patients' quality of life. Due to this, he pursued a career in Orthopaedics and was the Gold Medalist in his fellowship exit examination.

Dr. Lau has joined CUHK with a focus on Paediatric Orthopaedics and Scoliosis Surgery. He hopes to make a difference to paediatric patients with spinal deformities, under the mentorship of Professor Cheng and with the support of our Scoliosis research team.

CUHK Sports Medicine team on-field support

The Sports Medicine team, comprised of both staff and alumni members, alongside students, provided invaluable on-field assistance at both the World Triathlon Cup Hong Kong and HK Lacrosse Open. Our team is driven by a shared commitment to utilizing our collective knowledge and expertise to enhance the field of sports medicine. We take pride in offering support to a diverse range of events on a regular basis.

Dr. Samuel Ling returns from his Travelling Fellowship to Latin America

Dr. Ling was honored to be one of the three Asia-Pacific awardees for the triennial APKASS-SLARD traveling fellowship. Along with Professor Dai from Zhejiang University as the Godfather, Dr. Ling joined Dr. Toyooka from Teiko University and Dr. Chiu from Chang Gung Memorial Hospital to visit Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Argentina for a fruitful academic exchange. The next batch of fellowships will be selected in 2026-27.

Research Impact Fund (RIF) granted to Professor Ling Qin to develop magnesium-based biodegradable implants as innovative class III medical devices

Congratulations to Professor Qin and his lab for successfully granting support from the Research Impact Fund (RIF).

Population aging has become a major global issue now, according to The World Social Report 2023 launched by the United Nations, by 2025, the world's aging population over 65 years old will exceed 1.6 billion, and Hong Kong will become one of the oldest areas on the world with 40.6 % of aging population over 65 years old. Population aging is accompanied by a sharp increase in the incidence of musculoskeletal diseases such as osteoporosis, fragility fracture, and osteoarthritis, which seriously affect the quality of life of patients and bring huge economic burdens to families and society. Based on our existing research results, in collaboration with our industrial manufacturers and testing institution partners, we aim to develop Magnesium-based hybrid medical devices that could promote fracture healing as well as provide sufficient internal fixation for bone fracture. We will focus on large animal disease models of bone fracture in this project to obtain preclinical biosafety and effectiveness data to further promote the multi-center clinical trials and Class III biomedical device registration for broadening clinical applications. Our team is committed to developing novel Magnesium-based hybrid medical devices for challenging musculoskeletal disorders and promoting the translation of Magnesium metal from basic research to clinical applications, hence reducing the healthcare and economic burden associated with the aging society.

PI: - Prof. Ling Qin
Co-Is: - Prof. Gang LI, Prof. Ronald Man Yeung Wong, Prof. Michael Tim-Yun Ong, Prof. Jiankun Xu, Prof. Wenxue Tong, Prof. Xueling Bai (SIAT)
Funding scheme: - Research Impact Fund (RIF) from RGC Hong Kong
Funding amount: - HK$4,000,000
Title: - Magnesium-based biodegradable implants as innovative class III medical devices: from implant design, biosafety, efficacy to clinical translation

Fig.1 The Technical Maturity analysis of the Gartner Graph for Mg-based orthopaedic implants.

Fig 2. An overview of the proposed effects and interactions of the degradation products of the Mg-based implants, including Mg ions, hydrogen gas, and local alkaline environment, to the surrounding cells and tissue matrix and their biological responses.

Fig 3. The technical routes and task distribution or functionalization of this project (A) and the registrant system (content within the red dotted frame) (B) facilitate the clinical translation of the Mg-based medical devices.

Three new promotions to Associate Consultant

Congratulations to Dr. Samson Liu, Dr. Jonathan Ng, and Dr. Esther Chow on their promotion to Associate Consultant. The department is excited to see further developments in the fields of Trauma, Sports Medicine, and Foot and Ankle Surgery led by these young and talented professionals.

[From left] - Dr. Samson Liu, Dr. Jonathan Ng, and Dr. Esther Chow