News

PhD students Xue Xue and Yang Xin, from the School of Chinese Medicine has earned the Third Prize in the Life Sciences category at the 12th Hong Kong University Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition for their research project titled “A novel strategy targeting the CT domain of connective tissue growth factor for the treatment of fibrotic diseases – from the development of aptamer‑based therapeutics to US FDA orphan drug designation”.

Under the supervision of Professor Zhang Ge, Associate Dean (Research) of SCM, and Dr. Yu Sifan, Research Assistant Professor, the team leveraged their self-developed AptGEN-AI platform todeveloped a high-affinity nucleic acid aptamer Apc003OA, which precisely targets the core protein of fibrosis. Pre-clinical studies have shown that Apc003OA to be both highly effective and safe in treating pulmonary fibrosis and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Significantly, the novel drug has received dual designation as an Orphan Drug and Rare Pediatric Disease Drug from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), making a major step forward in advancing the project towards clinical application.

The School is committed to nurturing the young scientific talent, encouraging its leading scholars to guide students in tackling global health challenges, advancing translational medicine, and bringing new hope to patients worldwide.