Major Research Areas

Vascular biology and pharmacology:
Endothelial control of vascular tone and growth in health and disease; regulation of cardiovascular function by steroid hormones; effects of estrogen, phytoestrogens and other steroid sex hormones on vascular systems; ion channels in vascular cell; pharmacology of adenosine receptors and transporters.

Gastrointestinal disorders and inflammation:
Study of the mechanisms of cigarette smoking and probiotics on ulcer healing and cancer formation in the gastrointestinal tract; investigation of the interactive relationship between superoxide and nitric oxide in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases; study of the pathogenesis and therapeutic intervention of inflammatory bowel diseases and colorectal cancer; effects of sleep deprivation in gastrointestinal disorders.

Chinese medicine :
Isolation of the active ingredients from different Chinese herbs and study of their anti-inflammatory actions for the treatment of gastrointestinal and hepatic disorders (e.g. gastritis, hepatitis and colitis); action of Chinese medicines and their effects in vascular disorders; mechanistic studies of effects of Chinese herbal medicines and green tea on gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, adjunctive chemotherapy and ageing.

Drug metabolism :
Metabolic bioactivation of xenobiotics; chemical scavenging of reactive metabolites and downregulation of cytochrome P450 expression by bacterial endotoxins.

Toxicology :
Pharmacologic modulation of oxidant-induced tissue injury; antioxidant defence mechanisms in pathological states of oxidative stress; redox regulation of the expression of proinflammatory mediators by transcriptional factors; role of repair enzymes in DNA damage and cell death.