News & Stories

A research team from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has developed the world’s most productive chemical synthesis which could yield antibiotic anthracimycin and anthracimycin B that is 63 times more than current method.  The breakthrough greatly advances the development of anthracimycin-based antibiotics to combat the deadly bacteria infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria and even superbugs.

    Researchers at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have found that children think more highly of the naturally talented over hard workers, a preference that they carry into adulthood.     That is the case even in China, a culture that places effort above natural talent as people perceive the naturally talented as being more competent than those who work hard, according to the study.     Although children’s preference for naturals also generalizes to the perception of their friendliness and a willingness to interact with them, Chinese adults do not prefer naturals over hard workers except when considering competence, the study found.

Researchers at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) developed a novel technology which allows genomic DNA and RNA sequencing to be carried out simultaneously in single cells of both frozen and fresh tissues, and identified rare brain tumor cell "spies" disguised as normal cells with this method. This breakthrough facilitates cancer research for some of the most complex and rare tumors, opening new directions for drug target discovery in the future.

    The study of microRNAs (miRNAs), small RNAs that play important roles in gene regulation in animals and humans alike, have long been a topic of interest to many. How these miRNAs control and regulate gene expression, a subject of great importance in biology and medicine, is often believed to hold the keys to providing effective cures, or strategies, to different phenomenon and symptoms, such as cancer, a result of cell mutations.

    In April to May 2019, the coral reefs near the French Polynesian island of Moorea in the central South Pacific Ocean suffered severe and prolonged thermal bleaching. The catastrophe occurred despite the absence of El Niño conditions that year, intriguing ocean scientists around the world. 

Scientists from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and Institut Curie, France have jointly uncovered a new mechanism of the human MCM2-7 complex in regulating replication initiation, which can be used as a novel and effective anticancer strategy with the potential for selective killing of cancer cells. The findings were recently published in the Cell journal (link to publication).

Damages to the central nervous system (CNS), for example in the case of spinal cord injury, can result in permanent loss of sensory and motor function. It is because the severed axons are unable to regenerate. As of today, there are very limited options to help these patients regain their motor abilities. Scientists have been exploring ways to enable the regeneration of severed axons, with a view to developing viable treatments in the long term. 

The effectiveness of mRNA vaccines and drugs – such as those used against cancer and Covid-19, will be greatly boosted.