Renowned molecular biologist poised to take CUHK helm

Stacy Shi

Molecular biologist Dennis Lo Yuk-ming at Chinese University of Hong Kong's medical school is the sole candidate for president to succeed Rocky Tuan Sung-chi, whose resignation takes effect in January.

It is understood that an appointment needs the support of three-fourths of members of CUHK's governing council.

Sources indicate that the council will meet on Friday to decide on the appointment.

Lo is expected to assume the presidency in January, when Tuan's resignation takes effect.

Tuan, 73, resigned in January this year, a week after he started a new three-year term.

Lo, 60, known as the "father of noninvasive prenatal testing," currently serves as the CUHK Faculty of Medicine's associate dean of research and chairman of the school's Department of Chemical Pathology.

Sources said Lo, who was born and raised in Hong Kong, has been regarded as a highly favorable candidate for the position owing to his esteemed academic status and 27-year working experience at CUHK, as well as strong ties with the mainland and the international academic community.

The renowned expert in the clinical application of molecular biology focuses on the detection of cell-free fetal DNA in blood plasma.

He became a fellow of the Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge in 2011 and was elected as a fellow of the The World Academy of Sciences and Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences in 2013.

In 2021, he was announced as a winner of the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences - known as the "Oscars of science" - for discovering that fetal DNA is present in maternal blood and can be used for the prenatal testing of Down syndrome and a variety of genetic diseases.

The test developed by Lo's team has been widely regarded as a significant breakthrough in the global scientific community and has been widely adopted in over 90 countries and used by more than seven million pregnant women every year.

With this research, Lo was awarded the Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award in 2022, making him the fifth Chinese ever to receive the prize.

He followed in the footsteps of biochemist Li Choh-hao in 1962, oncologist and cancer researcher Li Min-chiu in 1972, geneticist and hematologist Kan Yuet-wai in 1991 and malariologist and pharmaceutical chemist Tu Youyou in 2011.

Lo was also elected as a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences last year.

Lo bought a flat at The Masterpiece in Tsim Sha Tsui for HK$210 million in May 2021.

According to an estate agent, the four-bedroom unit - the last one sold in the luxury development - has an area of 2,969 square feet. The price translated to HK$70,731 per square foot.

The property also features 180-degree curved glass windows, giving occupants uninterrupted views of Victoria Harbour.

CUHK council member and legislator Bill Tang Ka-piu believes the top scientist, "if the appointment goes smoothly, will be able to better connect the community, the council and the university, and make concerted efforts to promote the development of CUHK."

The university said it will make an announcement in due time.

stacy.shi@singtaonewscorp.com