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At the 50th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva, the School’s Centre for Chinese Herbal Medicine Drug Development Limited (CDD) distinguished itself by securing three accolades: “Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury”, “Silver Medal” and “Bronze Medal”.

Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury

A novel herbal formulation (CDD-2103) for remission maintenance of ulcerative colitis

Research team: Professor Bian Zhaoxiang, Associate Vice-President (Clinical Chinese Medicine) and Director of CDD; Professor Tan Hor-yue, Assistant Professor of CDD.

CDD-2103 is developed based on a traditional Chinese medicine formulation comprising nine Chinese herbal medicines including Codonopsis Radix (dang shen) and Curcumae Longae Rhizoma (jiang huang). It has been scientifically balanced to precisely combine these ingredients for use in maintaining ulcerative colitis in its remission phase. The new formulation was authorised by the National Medical Products Administration last year for clinical trial.

Silver Medal

Novel Chinese medicine formulation (CDD-2101) for constipation

Research team: Professor Bian Zhaoxiang, Associate Vice-President (Clinical Chinese Medicine) and Director of CDD; Professor Zhai Lixiang, Assistant Professor of CDD.

The research team employed DNA fingerprinting, spectroscopic and chromatographic methods to characterise and standardise the pharmacologically active constituents of the traditional Chinese herbal formulation “MaZiRenWan”. CDD-2101 has demonstrated improved bowel movements in several randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials in Hong Kong. In 2023, the drug was authorised by the US FDA to conduct a clinical trial. It is the first time that a new botanical drug developed in Hong Kong has obtained the authorisation to conduct a clinical trial in the US and the phase I study was completed in 2024.

Bronze Medal 

A novel botanical remedy (CDD-2107) for the rare disease myofibrillar myopathy (caused by BAG3 gene mutation)

Research team: Professor Bian Zhaoxiang, Associate Vice-President (Clinical Chinese Medicine) and Director of CDD; and Dr Lin Chengyuan, Assistant Director (Administration) of CDD.

CDD-2107 integrates Chinese medicine theory, clinical experience and advanced drug screening technologies to identify active compounds for treating the disease caused by BAG3 gene mutation. It utilises multi-omics analysis and artificial intelligence to identify precise therapeutic targets and ensure treatment efficacy. CDD-2107 is the first botanical drug in Hong Kong that has obtained the orphan drug designation from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is used to alleviate the clinical symptoms of myofibrillar myopathy caused by BAG3 gene mutation.

This year’s International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva, featuring participation from more than 40 countries and regions and over 1,050 cutting-edge technologies, stands as one of the world’s foremost innovation gatherings. The School’s research triumphs in this prestigious setting not only underscore its leading role in the modernisation of Chinese medicine but also reflect the high esteem in which the international scientific community holds these pioneering achievements.