News and Events

Congratulations to Prof. ZHANG Yong and Prof. Cecil CHEN on receiving the Shenzhen Medical Research Fund (深圳市医学研究专项资金) recently.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is widely used for tumor treatment. It has advantages, such as no drug resistance and low invasiveness as compared to other treatment options. However, it is limited to treating superficial tumors due to low light penetration in biological tissues, poor water solubility of photosensitizers, and hypoxia in tumor microenvironment. Prof. Zhang’s project is to develop a self-driven and wireless PDT technique based on engineered bacteria for efficient treatment of deep-seated tumors.

Prof. Chen’s project is to develop a revolutionary rapid test for quantifying kidney functions. The users only need to load the finger blood and urine sample onto a microfluidic chip. Without external electricity or device, the levels of kidney function will be displayed as lengths of visible bands measurable by a mobile app. This quantitative rapid test satisfies the requirement of at-home self-tests such as simple operation, low cost, and precise quantification, enabling a new strategy for managing chronic kidney disease.