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6 Jul 2021

CUHK Students Win Awards in the 7th Hong Kong University Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition

6 Jul 2021

PhD student Jeff Yat-Fai CHUNG (middle), Mphil student Max Kam-Kwan CHAN (right) and their supervisor Professor Patrick Ming-Kuen TANG (left) from the Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, CUHK, have successfully developed a novel neutrophil-based anticancer immunotherapy S3KO-TAN.

Three PhD students from the Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering including (from left) WANG Xuchen, WANG Yan, and LIN Hongbin have developed a miniature robotic steerable surgical drill that enables high-precision orthopedic surgery in a confined space.

The 7th Hong Kong University Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition was held at Hong Kong Science Park recently. Students from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) showed active and exemplary participation, winning a total of 15 awards in the competition including two first-class awards, two second-class awards, five third-class awards and three merit awards in the Innovation category, and one third-class award and two merit awards in the Entrepreneurship category.

The competition was organised by the Hong Kong New General Cultural Association and winners will represent Hong Kong in the two nationwide competitions. Winning projects under the Innovation category will take part in the “Challenge Cup” National College Students’ Extracurricular Academic Science and Technology Contest whilst the winning Entrepreneurship projects will be entered in the China International College Students’ “Internet+” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition and/or the “Challenge Cup” (Chuang Qing Chun) China College Students Entrepreneurship Competition.

The two CUHK team projects awarded First-class are “Development of a Novel Neutrophil-based Anticancer Immunotherapy: S3KO-TAN” and “Miniaturised Robotic Steerable Surgical Drill for Confined-Space Bone Work”, both in the category of Innovation.

Innovation First-class Award: Development of a Novel Neutrophil-based Anticancer Immunotherapy: S3KO-TAN

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death because cancer cells are so highly versatile that they easily develop drug resistance under conventional therapy. Host immunity plays a vital role against cancer, but less than 30% of lung cancer patients show a distinctive response to the latest immunotherapy. Therefore, PhD student Jeff Yat-Fai CHUNG and MPhil student Max Kam-Kwan CHAN from the Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, supervised by Professor Patrick Ming-Kuen TANG, Assistant Professor of the Department, have successfully developed a novel anticancer immunotherapy in which they genetically engineer the most abundant immune cell type in our blood – Neutrophil. 

In this invention, a novel anticancer immunotherapeutic S3KO-TAN can be mass produced by editing human neutrophils with the latest genome engineering technology CRISPR/Cas9. Neutrophils are suitable for allogenic use without antigen pairing and can be easily obtained from blood by-products, markedly overcoming the unsolved barriers of the T-cell immunotherapy. The study is supported by Hong Kong Research Grants Council, State Key Laboratory of Translational Oncology, and CU Medicine Faculty Innovation Award. The research team wishes to translate S3KO-TAN into an effective and safe anticancer immunotherapy in the future.

Innovation First-class Award: Miniaturised Robotic Steerable Surgical Drill for Confined-Space Bone Work

The human body structure is highly complex and irregular. In conventional orthopedic surgery, doctors have to remove a considerable amount of healthy tissue in order to gain access to the target surgical sites with straight and rigid surgical tools. This will lead to postoperative pain and complications, so prolonging hospital stays and recovery time. WANG Yan, LIN Hongbin, and WANG Xuchen, PhD students from the Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering (MAE), supervised by Professor AU Kwok Wai Samuel of the MAE Department, developed a miniaturised steerable surgical drill for bone work in a confined space. The miniaturised dimension (with a diameter of 4.5 mm) and considerably enhanced distal steerability (±65 degrees) enable doctors to access target surgical sites through small incisions while steering around anatomical corners minimises intraoperative harms on the patient during the process. This articulated drill tip is integrated into a lightweight (200 g) pen-style handheld device, which is easy to use and adaptable to existing surgical procedures. The handheld device can also be optionally mounted on a robotic arm for higher-precision autonomous control. Potential applications of the device include surgery on ENT, the cranial base, and the spine. The project has also been awarded First Runner-up in the Postgraduate group in the 2021 Professor Charles K. Kao Student Creativity Awards.

List of CUHK awarded projects is provided below:

Category

Prize

Project

Students

Affiliated Department

Innovation

First

Development of a Novel Neutrophil-based Anticancer Immunotherapy: S3KO-TAN

Jeff Yat-Fai Chung, Max Kam-Kwan Chan

Anatomical and Cellular Pathology

First

Miniaturised Robotic Steerable Surgical Drill for Confined-Space Bone Work

Wang Yan, Lin Hongbin, Wang Xuchen,

Mechanical and Automation Engineering

Second

Highly Dynamic Nanocomposite Hydrogels Self-assembled by Metal Ion-ligand Coordination

Yuan Wei Hao, Yao Zhi, Lai Chun Him Nathanael, Guo Jia Xin,Tung Lok Him,

Xu ShunXiang

Biomedical Engineering

Second

Automated Ultrasound Guided Needle Tip Tracking System

Yan Wanquan

Mechanical and Automation Engineering

Third

Age-Induced Deterioration of Neuro-Muscular Junction in Sarcopenia: Study on Gene Expression and Morphology

Ng Wing Fai

Biomedical Engineering

Third

Face Untouchable

Tse Man Yan, Ng Tim Ying

Information Engineering

Third

Versatile Soft Robotic Upper Limb Assistive Device for the Physically Challenged

Siu Shi Pan, Wong Chi Ka, Lee Tsz Yan,Wong Sin Yi, Cheung So Yee,

Ng Pui Hin

Mechanical and Automation Engineering

Third

A General Framework for Robotics Vision-based and Lidar-based Applications

Liu Kangcheng

Mechanical and Automation Engineering

Third

Robotics for Automatic Operations in Indoor Horticulture Farms

Su Man Ngo Rocco, Lau Chun Kit, Man Cheuk Ying Tiffany,

Au Tsz Him Vincent

Mechanical and Automation Engineering

Merit

In Planta Gene Regulation by Nanotechnology

Lau Yolanda Fong Yung, Chiu Yee Ting

Biomedical Engineering

Merit

Virucidal, Reusable and Cost-Effective Respirator

Li Pak Hin

Mechanical and Automation Engineering

Merit

Knee Energy Harvester with Variable Transmission from Walking

Chan Hugo Hung Tin

Mechanical and Automation Engineering

Entrepreneurship

Third

Mg Medcare Magnesium Wound Dressing

Huang Le

Orthopaedics and Traumatology

Merit

Aimimi

Cheung Cheuk Nam Janson, Chan Wai Kit, Li Yan Lap, Choi Chun Lok,

Kwok Chun Hei, Au Tsz Pok Terrence

Financial Technology

Merit

Look4kol

Kwok Tsung Yeung, Chan Po Lam, Wong Kai Yin

Philosophy

 



PhD student Jeff Yat-Fai CHUNG (middle), Mphil student Max Kam-Kwan CHAN (right) and their supervisor Professor Patrick Ming-Kuen TANG (left) from the Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, CUHK, have successfully developed a novel neutrophil-based anticancer immunotherapy S3KO-TAN.

PhD student Jeff Yat-Fai CHUNG (middle), Mphil student Max Kam-Kwan CHAN (right) and their supervisor Professor Patrick Ming-Kuen TANG (left) from the Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, CUHK, have successfully developed a novel neutrophil-based anticancer immunotherapy S3KO-TAN.

 

Three PhD students from the Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering including (from left) WANG Xuchen, WANG Yan, and LIN Hongbin have developed a miniature robotic steerable surgical drill that enables high-precision orthopedic surgery in a confined space.

Three PhD students from the Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering including (from left) WANG Xuchen, WANG Yan, and LIN Hongbin have developed a miniature robotic steerable surgical drill that enables high-precision orthopedic surgery in a confined space.

 

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