Professor Sun Dong, Chair Professor and Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at City University of Hong Kong (CityU), has been elected a Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts in the Technical and Environmental Sciences class.

Professor Sun’s research focus is advanced micro-robotics and biomedical engineering. Among his successful research projects are robot-aided automated processes for cell manipulation, diagnosis and micro-surgery at the single cell level. 

Professor Sun is a pioneer in robotic manipulation of biological cells and robot control. His research has led to breakthroughs in the use of robotics combined with various micro-engineering tools.

Professor Sun and his team invented the world’s first magnetically driven micro-robots that can deliver cells to precise locations in the human body. He also conducted the first preclinical trial using the magnetic micro-robot he developed to deliver stem cells in living animals for liver cancer treatment. The invention could revolutionise cell-based therapy and regenerative medicine, and provide more precise treatment for diseases such as cancer.

“We are now working on applying our micro-robot delivery technology to clinical tests on humans,” he said. With the support of National Natural Science Foundation of China Key Programme, Professor Sun is currently collaborating with hospitals in Hong Kong and mainland China on cartilage lesion repair. If successful, this will be the first clinical trial on humans in this field.

Professor Sun is also leading another project, which involves using the micro-robot platform to develop a novel vaccination strategy for DNA vaccine delivery and antigen presentation to fight Covid-19, supported by the Collaborative Research Fund under the University Grants Committee.

“I am grateful to CityU for its support over the past 20 years and will continue to work hard to pursue academic excellence at CityU,” he said.

A world-renowned scholar, Professor Sun was conferred a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and a Fellow of the IEEE, Robotics and Automation Society. He is one of the top 2% of the world's most highly cited scientists, according to metrics compiled by Stanford University.

For his contribution, Professor Sun has received numerous awards, such as the Natural Science Award of Higher Education Institutions in China, the Award of China’s Top Ten Scientific and Technological Developments in Intelligent Manufacturing, and the Hong Kong Awards for Industries.

The European Academy of Sciences and Arts is a non-governmental, European association committed to promoting scientific and societal progress. Founded in 1990 as a learned society, the members are leading scientists, artists, and practitioners of governance, who are dedicated to innovative research, interdisciplinary and transnational collaboration, and the exchange and dissemination of knowledge. Among its members are 32 Nobel Laureates.