Major Research Areas

Antimicrobial resistance:
Antibiotic resistance in Strep. pneumoniae, enterococci, Staph. aureus, Burkholderia pseudomallei and enterobacteriaceae, including epidemiology of resistant bacteria, resistant gene ecology, mechanisms of resistance, clinical relevance, novel methods for diagnosis of difficult-to-detect resistance and evaluation of new antibiotics; novel or emerging b-lactamases in Gram negative bacteria; development and evaluation of new glycopeptides for vancomycin resistant Gram positive bacteria. Methods used include cloning, gene expression, enzyme kinetics, antibiotic assays, chemical analysis, in vitro assessment of antibacterial activity.

Contact Person
Dr P.L. Ho
Tel: 2855 4193
Fax: 2855 1241
Email: plho@hkucc.hku.hk

Novel and emerging infectious diseases, and microbial genomics:
Discovery and characterization of novel and emerging pathogens and pathogenic forms, including coronaviurses and novel bacteria, through a range of molecular techniques, immunological techniques, animal models, and bioinformatics tools. Phenotypic, genotypic, and genomic approaches for the study of novel and emerging pathogens, including novel coronaviruses, Laribacter hongkongensis and Penicillium marneffei , to win new insights in microbial genomics, and potential diagnostic, therapeutic and vaccine targets.

Contact Persons
Professor K.Y. Yuen
Tel: 28554892
Fax: 28551241
Email: kyyuen@hkucc.hku.hk

Dr P.C.Y. Woo
Tel: 28554715
Fax: 28551241
Email: pcywoo@hkucc.hku.hk

Dr S.S.Y. Wong
Tel : 28554897
Fax: 28551241
Email: samsonsy@hkucc.hku.hk

Dr S.K.P. Lau
Fax : 28551241
Email: skplau@hkucc.hku.hk

Immunotherapy for chronic viral infections and related cancers :
Development of therapeutic vaccines for immune intervention in chronic HBV infection; study of dendritic cells in chronic hepatitis B patients; development of EBV vaccines for immune intervention in NPC; study of gd T cells in immune surveillance against NPC; polymorphism of chemokine receptors and their ligands in Chinese (in HIV infection); study of HIV co-receptor expression on immune cells in HIV infection.

SARS virus :
Study of animal source of SARS; development of SARS vaccines; study of anti-viral peptides for prevention and treatment of SARS; development of monoclonal antibodies against SARS virus.

Contact Person
Dr B.J. Zheng
Tel: 2855 4383
Fax: 2855 1241
Email: bzheng@hkucc.hku.hk

Influenza and SARS :
Ecology, molecular evolution, epidemiology of animal and avian influenza and the SARS coronavirus; application of viral genetics and reverse genetics to the study of viral attenuation, pathogenesis, inter-species transmission and vaccine development of influenza and SARS coronavirus; immuno-pathogenesis, innate immunity and viral macrophage interactions of influenza and SARS coronavirus; disease burden and health economics of human influenza; laboratory diagnostic methods for influenza and SARS coronavirus.

Contact Persons  
Professor J.S.M. Peiris
Tel 2855 4888
Fax 2855 1241
Email: malik@hkucc.hku.hk

Dr Y. Guan
Tel 2855 4345
Email: yguan@hkucc.hku.hk

Dr L.L.M. Poon
Tel: 2855 4384
Email: llmpoon@hkucc.hku.hk

Microbial pathogenesis :
Molecular epidemiology and pathogenesis of enteric pathogens, including Vibrio cholerae and E. coli O157:H7, in relation to public health and environmental hazards; drug resistance mechanism of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1).

Contact Person
Dr W.C. Yam
Tel: 2855 4821
Fax: 2855 1241
Email: wcyam@hkucc.hku.hk

Molecular studies of emerging pathogens :
Integration of high-throughput screening (HTS) technologies and conventional genetic approaches (including cloning, site-directed deletions) to dissect microbial pathogenesis and identify microbial targets of important diagnostic and therapeutic value.

Contact Person
Dr R.Y.T. Kao
Tel: 2855 4891
Fax: 28551241
Email: rytkao@hkucc.hku.hk