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Professor Kwan Hiu-yee, Director of the Teaching and Research Division, has been awarded a grant of over HK$1.4 million from the Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF). The funding will support her team’s innovative research to identify obese individuals at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, before clinical symptoms appear.

With rising obesity rates, diabetes has become a severe public health challenge in Hong Kong, affecting more than 700,000 citizens. Current screening methods for prediabetes, such as fasting plasma glucose (FPG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels, rely on elevated plasma glucose which indicates that dysregulation has already begun. Biomarkers independent of plasma glucose could offer earlier detection for at-risk individuals.

Professor Kwan’s team discovered that certain proteins in the blood are significantly elevated in obese individuals, acting as an “early-warning signal” from the body. This finding enables the prediction of diabetes risk before blood glucose dysregulation occurs.

This research embodies the School’s commitment to integrating the wisdom of Chinese medicine with the technology of Western medicine to improve health. By employing modern precision diagnostics as a sophisticated early-warning system, Professor Kwan is creating the ideal conditions to apply the core Chinese medicine principle of “preventive treatment” (治未病).

“Our research marks a fundamental shift in the treatment paradigm for type 2 diabetes, moving from treatment towards prevention,” Professor Kwan explained. “By providing accurate and early prediction, we empower high-risk individuals to reclaim ownership of their health through lifestyle changes and traditional practices”.