The newly established Tung Biomedical Sciences Centre at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has been named in honour of The Tung Foundation in appreciation of the staunch and generous support of the Foundation. 

The naming and unveiling ceremony on 18 August was officiated by Dr Chee-chen Tung, GBS, SBS, JP and Mr Alan Lieh-sing Tung, JP, from the Foundation; Professor Way Kuo, President of CityU; Professor Christian Wagner, Provost; Professor Matthew Lee Kwok-on, Vice-President (Development and External Relations); Professor Michael Yang Mengsu, Vice-President (Research and Technology) and Director of the Centre; and Professor Nikolaus Osterrieder, Dean of the Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences. 

The Tung Biomedical Sciences Centre will serve as an interdisciplinary research and education hub dedicated to the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for the prediction, prevention and treatment of cancers, neurodegeneration and infectious diseases. 

 

The Centre occupies a total area of 2,500m² in the Yeung Kin Man Academic Building on campus and is equipped with advanced research facilities, including the newly acquired Magnetic Particle Imaging System (MPIS) and High-content Confocal Imaging System (HCIS). 

The MPIS is the first such system in Hong Kong and the second in the Greater China area, while the HCIS is the second such system in Hong Kong.

In his vote of thanks, President Kuo thanked the Foundation for its unwavering support, adding that the Tung Biomedical Sciences Centre would strengthen CityU’s capability to develop and integrate translational research collaboration and communication for all health-related issues. 

“With the Foundation’s support for the Tung Biomedical Sciences Centre, its state-of-the-art facilities and top-notch researchers will help promote public health and the well-being of humankind,” said President Kuo.

 

Dr Tung endorsed the collaborative approach of the Tung Biomedical Sciences Centre and its emphasis on biomedical sciences, nanotechnology, neuroscience, engineering, and infectious diseases.

“In today’s world, cross-fertilisation and cross-functional cooperation is perhaps the most critical driver for success,” said Dr Tung. “CityU’s focus on research in recent years has brought about tangible results, whether in the form of the recruitment of quality faculty, international recognition of CityU’s research, or the continued development of specific schools in areas such as veterinary medicine and life sciences.”

The Centre’s multidisciplinary teams of researchers work closely to conduct basic and applied biomedical research for the well-being of humankind, cultivate new generations of biomedical scientists, and contribute to the knowledge-based economies of Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area and beyond.

The Centre is one of the major incubators of highly promising entrepreneurial ideas. In March 2021, CityU launched the HK Tech 300 programme, whose aim is to nurture entrepreneurship using CityU’s research achievements. 

A number of start-up teams under the “Biotech & Health” category started humbly but ambitiously in the Centre, and successfully competed for the Seed Fund under HK Tech 300, which illustrates the great potential and readiness of the Centre’s research for technology transfer and commercialisation. The scope of some of the tech ventures include RNAi-based therapeutics, devices and molecules for nervous system repair, diagnosis and treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, and the development of anti-cancer drugs.

The Tung Foundation is a charitable organisation established in 1979 by the late Mr Chao-yung Tung, who was highly enthusiastic about youth and community activities, especially for the cultural, artistic and educational causes. The objectives of the Foundation are to support social, cultural, educational and medical activities and programmes in Hong Kong, mainland China and overseas. 

The generous donation from The Tung Foundation is a leadership gift contributing to the “United, We Soar” Campaign, which aims to strengthen the University’s rapport with friends, donors and supporters, bolster its fundraising capabilities, and ensure sustained support, as well as to showcase CityU’s outstanding achievements over the years.