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While scientists still don’t fully understand the diverse nature of RNA molecules, it is believed that the proteins binding to them, called RNA-binding proteins, are associated with many disease formation. A research led by biomedical scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has developed a novel detection method, called CARPID, to identify binding proteins of specific RNAs in the living cells. It is expected the innovation can be applied in various cell research, from identifying biomarkers of cancer diagnosis to detecting potential drug targets for treating viral diseases.


MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are gaining more attention in researches of different human diseases (e.g. cancer) because changes in miRNA expression are frequently associated with abnormal cellular functions. To achieve fast and highly sensitive profiling of miRNAs, a research team from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has developed a novel intracellular biopsy technique that isolates targeted miRNAs from living cells within around 10 minutes by using diamond nanoneedles. The technique is simple and can be applied to other aspects, from the nucleic acid testing of viruses (e.g. COVID-19) to early cancer screening.


Reflecting our growing reputation for excellence in data science, leading scholars from City University of Hong Kong (CityU), Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cornell University, University of Texas at Austin, University of California, Irvine, University of Hong Kong and Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen) convened online for an international forum on data, statistics and Covid-19 pandemic.


The Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences (VCS) was established on 31st March 2020 in the Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences at CityU, Hong Kong.



Dr Ban Kiwon, Assistant Professor of CityU’s Department of Biomedical Sciences, collaborated with cardiologist and experts in 3D printing from South Korea in achieving this breakthrough. Their findings were published in the scientific journal Science Advances, titled “In vivo priming of human mesenchymal stem cells with hepatocyte growth factor-engineered mesenchymal stem cells promotes therapeutic potential for cardiac repair”.


With the aim of easing pet owners worries on Covid-19 and help taking precaution measures for their pets, the College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences has produced and released a video with Professor Vanessa Barrs sharing expertise advice on this.



The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) pro-actively introduced a 14-day quarantine and health screening for pets belonging to people infected with the coronavirus that causes Covid-19.



CityU's veterinary medicine experts are paying close attention to a recent case of a dog that tested weak positive for Covid-19. They respond to the relevant media enquiries as follows:



A possible increase of around 60 infected cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) from mid-February to mid-March is projected by Dr Sean Yuan Hsiang-yu, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at City University of Hong Kong (CityU). Whether the number of local infections will grow significantly depends on how effective the quarantine measures are at reducing the recontact rate between the high-risk individuals and other people.