1 June 2021

The 2019 novel coronavirus (nCoV-2019), also known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an emerging pathogen that caused the global pandemic outbreak. The speedy transmission of this coronavirus around the world caused hundreds of thousand people dead and huge negative impact to the socio-economy and public health. The major reasons of the rapid transmission of COVID-19 are the lack of efficient diagnostic systems as well as unavailable effective drugs and vaccine. Therefore, our team members in Tung’s Biomedical Science Centre have carried out several interdisciplinary projects to tackle this emerging pandemic outbreak. For example, a team led by Prof. Mengsu (Michael) Yang dedicates to produce a simple but rapid test for COVID-19. They set out to design and construct a molecular point-of-care testing procedure based on visual detection using a disposable flow device, which includes a bio-sensor based on nano technology, and genetic biomarkers. Another research team led by Prof. Jian Yan and Prof. Liang Zhang in the Centre has also developed a new method using cutting-edge technology of CRISPR to identify the binding proteins of non-coding RNAs in living cells. This approach can facilitate the searching of potential antiviral drug targets to combat COVID-19.