Principal Investigator:
Dr. CHAN Wan Yi Renee
Research Team:
Dr Mars Tao, Dr Joseph Tsun
RPG student:
Mr Jason PUN (PhD, Yr3), Mr Ben WONG (PhD, Yr 2), Dr Shaojun LIU (PhD, Yr 1)
Our research focuses on the respiratory virus infection, including enterovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza and influenza virus and their interaction with human respiratory epithelia and the immune system. Research topics include:
- Tissue tropism in human respiratory tract and beyond;
- Human primary differentiated cells, explant tissue, and respiratory organoid cultures;
- Animal ex vivo and in vivo models establishment and their application;
- The innate and adaptive immunity;
- Virus identification, isolation, classification, and phylogeny;
- Receptor identifications and its regulation;
- Epidemiology of these viral diseases.
Want a hands-on experience before commitments?
The Office of Admissions and Financial Aid of CUHK offer CUHK students opportunities for paid campus work through the Student Campus Work Scheme. Currently, remuneration is HK$60/hour (undergraduate).
We are ready to provide hands on training which is a perfect transition stage to taste your own research experience.
Do send us your CV and discuss your research career with us!
Congratulations to Miss Hailey Tsui , our SURP student from the University of Sussex (4th from the right) for winning the Best Poster Award!
August 2017
Looking for an overseas research experience?
In collaboration with the Laboratory of Translational Immunology, UMC Utrecht, we have established a CUHK-UMCU Joint Research Laboratory of Respiratory Virus & Immunology in March 2017.
A Memorandum of Understanding is made between the Laboratory of Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht and the Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong to achieve research in viral infections in respiratory tract. The Joint Research Laboratory is co-directed by Profs TF Leung, Renee Chan and Louis Bont. We plan to conduct cutting edge, basic, and translational research that will foster exchange of ideas and dissemination of research findings, and research tools’ developments in understanding the immunological and pathophysiological aspects of respiratory virus infection; to lay a
foundation for the development of a physiological drug screening and testing platform for the discovery of new therapeutic options; to facilitate academic exchanges among researchers and students at CUHK and UMC Utrecht through strategic alliances with key research collaborators, and to nurture students’ interest and professional knowledge in the study of respiratory infections and human respiratory immunity from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Interested candidates would have chances to have the laboratory attachment experience in the laboratories in UMC Utrecht, Netherlands.
Dr Louisa Chan (Left) has attached Prof Beekman’s and Prof Bont’s lab for three months in UMC-Utrecht. Dr Sjanna Besteman (Right) and colleagues would visit CUHK in January 2019.
July – September 2018
Nurturing the new generation researcher
Research postgraduate students are encouraged to have international exposures during their study with us. Distinguished scholars were invited to come to our department and had in-depth teaching and sharing with our students.
Mr Marvel Wang, Yr 1 MPhil student is the awardee of the Best Abstract Prize his poster presentation session in the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Congress 2017 in Helsinki, Finland.
June 2017
Dr LEE Wai-ming (University of Wisconsin-Madison, US) was invited to spend a month in the laboratory. He gave a lecture on Human Rhinovirus Biology and sharpened the laboratory protocols. We wish to express our gratitude to him in spending his time with us and the generous sharing of his rhinovirus plasmids and rhinovirus prototypes.
March 2017
Prof JP Mizgerd (Boston University School of Medicine, US) was invited to spend a week in the department. He gave us a distinguished lecture on Pneumonia Biology and multiple discussion sessions on grant application, inter-department collaboration and meeting with research post-graduates.
October 2016
Congratulations! Mr Jason Pun, Yr 1 PhD student won the Champion in the Poster Presentation session in the Research Poster Exhibition 2019 co-organised by Graduate School, ILC and CUHK Library.
May 2019