PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

CityUHK researchers develop an innovative bio-detection platform for cancer early screening and disease monitoring

CityUHK researchers develop an innovative bio-detection platform for cancer early screening and disease monitoring
2025-03-13
(Press-News.org) Cancer continues to be a leading cause of mortality worldwide, highlighting the urgent need to develop more advanced, efficient, and early detection methods. Addressing this critical need, City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) is leading a groundbreaking research project aimed at developing an innovative technology platform for early detection of cancer and personalised treatment. The project aims specifically to enhance the detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs), paving the way for significant advancements in cancer diagnosis and care. This is one of the first batch of projects that has secured funding by the RAISe+ Scheme.

The RAISe+ Scheme (the Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme) is a government scheme launched in October 2023, with a funding allocation of $10 billion, aims to accelerating the transformation of R&D outcomes from “1 to N”, and facilitate relevant collaboration among the government, industries, universities, and research sectors. It provides funding for the transformation and commercialisation of R&D outcomes from local universities, on a matching basis (up to HK$100 million per project).

The project, titled “Microfluidics-Based Detection Platform for Circulating Tumor Cells and Its Applications in Cancer Early Screening and Disease Monitoring”, was awarded, led by Professor Michael Yang Mengsu, Senior Vice-President (Innovation and Enterprise) and Yeung Kin Man Chair Professor of Biomedical Sciences at CityUHK. It aims to develop a next-generation CTC detection platform with enhanced sensitivity and specificity to fulfil clinical needs in cancer early screening, diagnosis and treatment.

Circulating Tumor Cell Testing: Empowering personalised cancer treatment

“Circulating tumor cells (CTC) are tumor cells that circulate in the blood after sloughing off the primary tumor. They carry molecular genetic and cellular information related to the primary tumor,” explained Professor Yang. “Precision diagnosis and comprehensive analysis of CTCs through multi-omics technologies are crucial for cancer early screening, disease monitoring, as well as the development of cell therapies and mRNA vaccines for specific targets and antigens, further supporting the personalised cancer treatment.”

His research team has been focusing on developing biochips and nanotechnology for molecular diagnostics and therapeutics. They have successfully transformed multiple research achievements and co-founded several biotech companies based on CityUHK’s patented technologies, benefiting millions of patients. In 2024, Professor Yang has been elected Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in recognition of his significant contributions to innovation, societal welfare, and economic development.

Collaboration between Government, Industry, and Academia drives research transformation

CTC can provide valuable information for various clinical applications in tumor detection and treatment, including early screening, diagnostics, treatment selection and efficacy assessment. Owing to limitations in detection technology, however, the full potential of CTCs for cancer disease monitoring and early detection remains to be fully demonstrated. Professor Yang and his research team have founded a biotech company – “Cellomics”, which commercialised the technologies developed in CityUHK into a CTC detection product that has been adopted by more than 50 hospitals in the Mainland China.

With the support of the RAISe+ funding, and in partnership with Cellomics, the team will focus on designing and developing a new platform that will combine microfluidic chip technology with immune-microparticle isolation strategies to efficiently and sensitively screen CTC based on their physical and biological characteristics. “The challenges of CTC detection lie in the low number of CTCs in blood samples, complexity of CTCs and the blood matrix, which requires efficient and specific techniques for their enrichment and characterisation, and to expand CTC-based cultures for further extensive analysis, further to paving the way for personalised cancer vaccines and cell-based treatments,” explained Professor Yang.

Aiming for commercialisation within two years

The team will develop an integrated system that includes an automated CTC sorting instrument, a cell staining device and imaging system, and reagent kits for CTC protein and genetic profiling. These instruments and reagents will comprehensively cover CTC counting, classification, and downstream detection of CTC proteins and genes to enable cancer early screening, diagnostics, drug selection, efficacy assessment, prognosis, and addressing the needs for precision medicine.

“The project is dedicated to establishing and commercialising a CTC detection system for cancer screening and monitoring within the next two years, to increase the early detection rate and improve treatment efficacy and quality of life for patients,” said Professor Yang.

https://www.cityu.edu.hk/hktech300/media/latest-news/cityuhk-researchers-develop-innovative-bio-detection-platform-cancer-early

END

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
CityUHK researchers develop an innovative bio-detection platform for cancer early screening and disease monitoring CityUHK researchers develop an innovative bio-detection platform for cancer early screening and disease monitoring 2 CityUHK researchers develop an innovative bio-detection platform for cancer early screening and disease monitoring 3

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

English translation of harnessing data for improved productivity: managing the full life cycle of data licensed at the London Book Fair

English translation of harnessing data for improved productivity: managing the full life cycle of data licensed at the London Book Fair
2025-03-13
On March 11, 2025, at the China Collective Stand of the London Book Fair, Tsinghua University Press (TUP) and the University of Toronto Press (UTP) sign a licensing agreement for the English version of Harnessing Data for Improved Productivity: Managing the Full Life Cycle of Data. This collaboration is a big step forward in putting China’s data management innovations on the global map, showcasing the nation’s cutting-edge achievements through leading ...

COVID-19 discovery opens door to new treatments for chronic lung problems

COVID-19 discovery opens door to new treatments for chronic lung problems
2025-03-13
University of Virginia School of Medicine scientists have discovered how severe COVID-19 can destroy immune cells’ ability to repair the lungs, helping explain the lingering effects of long COVID. The findings suggest a new treatment approach for long COVID as well as other conditions, both short-term and chronic, caused by respiratory infections such as the flu. Led by UVA’s Jie Sun, PhD, the researchers found that severe viral infections including COVID-19 and the flu can gravely damage a key organelle inside immune cells called macrophages. Macrophages direct lung repair after tissue damage, but their ability to do so is crippled ...

Stanford Medicine research explores the promise and perils of AI in citizen science

Stanford Medicine research explores the promise and perils of AI in citizen science
2025-03-13
(Toronto, March 13, 2025) A new study published in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance by a team from Stanford Medicine investigates the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize citizen science and advance health equity. The study, titled “The Promise and Perils of Artificial Intelligence in Advancing Participatory Science and Health Equity in Public Health,” explores how AI technologies can empower communities to actively participate in scientific research and addresses critical ethical considerations. This research, published by JMIR Publications, examines the potential of AI to significantly enhance citizen science by enabling more inclusive ...

New approaches to tackle coupled urban risks: a people-centric and complex systems perspective

New approaches to tackle coupled urban risks: a people-centric and complex systems perspective
2025-03-13
As urbanization surges and climate change intensifies, cities worldwide are facing an increasing number of coupled risks. A recent paper published in Engineering offers fresh insights into understanding and managing these risks. The complexity of coupled risks in cities, which result from the compounded effects of interacting uncertainties across multiple interdependent objectives, is a major concern. A disruption in one urban subsystem can trigger a chain reaction, affecting other subsystems and leading to unforeseen consequences. For example, the extreme rainfall not only damaged infrastructure ...

OFC conference to showcase energy-efficient optical links that result in faster, low-power photonic chips

2025-03-13
Researchers have demonstrated an integrated optical link on a silicon wafer that exhibits high-speed data transmission with very low power consumption. The advance, which was possible because of new low-energy membrane photonic devices made from indium phosphide, could help improve the power efficiency of integrated photonic circuit boards and chip packages without compromising speed. Tatsurou Hiraki from NTT Corporation in Japan will present this research at OFC, the premier global event for optical communications and networking, which will take place 30 March – 03 April 2025 at the Moscone Center ...

Ultra-low dose CT aids pneumonia diagnosis in immunocompromised patients

Ultra-low dose CT aids pneumonia diagnosis in immunocompromised patients
2025-03-13
OAK BROOK, Ill. – Denoised ultra-low dose CT can effectively diagnose pneumonia in immunocompromised patients using only 2% of the radiation dose of standard CT, according to a study published today in Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). “For patients with weakened immune systems, lung infections can be life threatening,” said lead study author Maximiliano Klug, M.D., a radiologist in the division of diagnostic imaging at the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel. “CT scans are the gold standard for detecting pneumonia, but repeated ...

US bird populations continue alarming decline, new report finds

US bird populations continue alarming decline, new report finds
2025-03-13
ITHACA, NY.—The release of the 2025 U.S. State of the Birds report was announced today at the 90th annual North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. The report, produced by a coalition of leading science and conservation organizations, reveals continued widespread declines in American bird populations across all mainland and marine habitats, with 229 species requiring urgent conservation action. The report comes five years after the landmark 2019 study that documented the loss of 3 ...

RSV hospitalization risk among older adults linked to age and certain risk conditions

RSV hospitalization risk among older adults linked to age and certain risk conditions
2025-03-13
Among older adults in Spain, hospitalisation rates from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection increases progressively with age and is more likely among people with other health issues and who live in nursing homes, according to a study published in Eurosurveillance. The hospitalisation rate varied considerably with age and the presence of risk conditions, with important implications for possible targeted interventions.  This population-based cohort study analysed patient data for adults over the age of 60 years in seasons 2016/17 to 2019/20 obtained through electronic medical records ...

Co-authored USF study identifies ‘surprising’ cause of sargassum blooms in Caribbean

Co-authored USF study identifies ‘surprising’ cause of sargassum blooms in Caribbean
2025-03-13
TAMPA, Fla. (March 13, 2025) – The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt has puzzled researchers since 2011. A recent study published in Nature Communications may have identified what drove a tipping point that established the phenomenon in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. Using computer modeling, a team of international researchers demonstrated that sargassum blooms were brought to the tropics by strong ocean currents and wind and thrived in ideal growing conditions. Specifically, two consecutive years of a strong negative North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), a shift in atmospheric pressure over the Atlantic that changes circulation and wind patterns, pushed sargassum into the tropics starting ...

Statins, aspirin may impact muscle health in smokers

2025-03-13
Miami (March 13, 2025) – For current and former smokers, statins may reduce the amount of chest muscle loss, while aspirin may contribute to increased chest muscle loss, according to a new study. The study is published in the January 2025 issue of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation, a peer-reviewed, open-access journal. Many people who are current or former smokers are prescribed statins to manage high cholesterol and aspirin to manage heart disease. Research has shown that current or former smokers experience increased skeletal muscle loss, especially in people ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Study finds knowledge of genetics and genomic medicine crucial for mental health providers to deliver informed, personalized care

Hypersonic simulation in 3D exposes new disturbances

Your neighborhood may affect your risk of dementia

Early signs of heart problems linked to smaller brain volumes

Research finds potential “molecular mimics” behind COVID-induced autoimmune disease

Pennington Biomedical researchers identify neurons in brain that regulate energy levels and body temperature

Cleaning microplastics

MD Anderson names Jeffrey E. Lee, M.D., Chief Medical Executive

Sensor technology uses nature’s blueprint and machinery to monitor metabolism in body

Chan Zuckerberg Initiative announces new biohub to develop breakthrough imaging technologies to observe cells in action

Encryption breakthrough lays groundwork for privacy-preserving AI models

Top global award for young technologists goes to researcher who advanced AI with high-performance computers

How did the large brain evolve?

Rare disease drug nitisinone makes human blood deadly to mosquitoes

Mini rolling robot takes virtual biopsies

Researchers design tools to develop vaccines more efficiently for African swine fever virus (ASFV)

How survivors spanned the globe after Earth’s biggest mass extinction

Even in egalitarian Sweden, a "culture of silence" may prevent university staff and students from reporting sexual harassment

Data from the Healthy Minds Study of 140 college campuses in the US suggests that religiousness may be protective against symptoms of depression in students, although less so in sexual minorities

Idaho National Laboratory seeks sponsor for innovation incubator to support technology commercialization

Ochsner Health celebrates team members recognized as Louisiana State Nurses Association 40 Under 40 honorees

Study explores how time-restricted eating affects weight loss

Ochsner Health named 2025 Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award winner

Researchers have discovered a new mechanism for rapid liver regeneration triggered by glutamate

Scientists discover why obesity takes away the pleasure of eating

How cells respond to stress is more nuanced than previously believed

A new method to recycle fluoride from long-lived PFAS chemicals

A breakthrough moment: McMaster researchers discover new class of antibiotics

The devastating human impact on biodiversity

Calorie-free sweeteners can disrupt the brain’s appetite signals

[Press-News.org] CityUHK researchers develop an innovative bio-detection platform for cancer early screening and disease monitoring