CUHK secures almost $16m from RGC for two projects

The Chinese University of Hong Kong has secured HK$15.94 million from the Research Grants Council’s 2025/26 Research Impact Fund to advance two pioneering projects addressing global health and environmental challenges.

One initiative, led by professor of the School of Biomedical Sciences Barbara Chan Pui, received HK$8.8 million to consolidate the clinical translation of engineered osteochondral tissue, the first locally developed advanced therapeutic product for traumatic cartilage injuries.

Building on more than a decade of research and a first-in-human safety trial, the team will transfer the Good Manufacturing Practice-validated production process back to Hong Kong and launch an exploratory efficacy study, paving the way for future clinical trials and registration of the city’s first homegrown therapy of its kind.

The second project, awarded HK$7.14 million, is coordinated by professor of the Faculty of Engineering Ren Wei.

His team will develop an in-situ sensing platform for deep-sea exploration, integrating fiber-enhanced photothermal gas sensors with submersibles to capture fine-scale variations in dissolved gases such as carbon dioxide and methane. The system will undergo rigorous testing before deployment in cold seeps and hadal trenches, offering unprecedented insights into biogeochemical cycles and climate processes.