O&T, CUHK

Academic Profile

Dr CAO Mingde

Dr LIU Chaoran

CONTACT INFORMATION

Office : (852) 3505-6000

Email : mingdecao@cuhk.edu.hk

ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENT

Postgraduate teaching:
MPhil/PhD in Orthopaedics & Traumatology
MSc in Sports Medicine & Health Science

ORCID: 0000-0003-1445-7856
Google Scholar: EFr7LigAAAAJ

Dr. CAO Mingde 曹明德

BMed (SMU), MMed (SYSU), PhD (CUHK)

Research Assistant Professor
研究助理教授

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Cao obtained his B.Med. degree in Clinical Medicine from Southern Medical University in 2017. He then pursued his training in Orthopaedics surgery at Sun Yat-sen University and obtained his Master of surgery degree in in 2020. He further advanced his doctoral studies at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), completing his PhD in Orthopaedics in 2023.

His specialised research areas include (i) synovitis and joint homeostasis, with a particular interest in how inflammatory microenvironments contribute to osteoarthritis progression; (ii) pain behaviors and pain-related assessments in animal models of osteoarthritis, focusing on reliable outcome measures of nociception and functional impairment; and (iii) osteoarthritis translational research, including clinical trial–oriented work aimed at evaluating and validating disease-modifying and/or symptom-relieving therapeutic strategies.

EXPERTISE

Post-traumatic Osteoarthritis Pathology
Osteoarthritis Pain
Translational Research

SPECIALISED RESEARCH AREAS

Synovitis and Joint Homeostasis
Pain Behaviors/assessments in Animal Models
Osteoarthritis Clinical Trials

SELECTED PUBLICATION

1.	Cao M, Wang Q, Zhang X, Liang Z, Qiu J, Yung PSH, Ong MTY. Large language models’ performances regarding common patient questions about osteoarthritis: A comparative analysis of ChatGPT-3.5, ChatGPT-4.0, and perplexity. Journal of Sport and Health Science. 14:101016, 2025.
2.	Cao M, Yao S, Zhu X, Ong MTY, Yung PSH, Jiang Y. Doxycycline Promotes Graft Healing and Attenuates Posttraumatic Osteoarthritis After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in a Rat Model. The American Journal of Sports Medicine. 51(2):461-475, 2023.
3.	Cao M, Ong MTY, Yung PSH, Tuan RS, Jiang Y. Role of synovial lymphatic function in osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. 2022
4.	Cao M, Bi M, Yuan S, Wu Y, Yung PSH, Ong MTY. Superior Capsule Reconstruction Graft Selection: The Influence of Biological Properties of Grafts on Healing and Re-Tearing. Bioengineering. 12(9):942, 2025.
5.	Zhang X, Cao M, Fu BSC, Wang JQ, Ong MTY, Yung PSH. Adaptive immunity in osteoarthritis: Mechanisms and opportunities for regulatory T-cell–targeted therapy. Pharmacological Research. 108041, 2025.
6.	Zhu X, Cao M, Li K, Chan YT, Chan HF, Mak YW, Yao H, Sun J, Ong MTY, Ho KKW. Intra-articular sustained-release of pirfenidone as a disease-modifying treatment for early osteoarthritis. Bioactive Materials. 39:255-272, 2024.
7.	Yao SY, Cao M, He X, Fu BSC, Yung PSH. Biological modulations to facilitate graft healing in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), when and where to apply? A systematic review. Journal of Orthopaedic Translation. 30:51-60, 2021.
8.	Ong MTY, Zang TY, Cao M, Lui, PPY., Fu BSC., Wong, DCK., ... & Yung, PSH. Bone Tunnel Microarchitecture and Early Functional Recovery After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Prospective HR-pQCT Cohort Study. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2026: 03635465261426355.
9.	Lei L, Wen Z, Zhang X, Zhang H, Luo Y, Guo J, Cao M, Yao H, Fu BS, Tong W, Ling SK, Wang J, Qin L, Xu J, Yung PS. GsMTx4-loaded GelMA promotes tendon regeneration and suppresses heterotopic ossification via the Apelin signaling pathway. Biomaterials. 2026 Jan; 324:123507. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2025.123507
10.	Ong MTY, Yu M, Cao M, Yee DKH, Ho KKW, Man GCW, Bi M, Ng J, Xu J, Griffith J. Robotic‐assisted burr preparation significantly improves cement penetration but not immediate fixation strength in total knee arthroplasty. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy. 2025.