CUHK Engineering Research Team Develops Novel Ultra-dynamic Hydrogel to Promote Differentiation of Human Stem Cell and Development of Tissue Engineering Materials

Date: 
2021-06-12
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A research team co-led by Professor Bian Liming from the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, and Professor Wang Yi from the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has recently developed a super dynamic cross-linked hydrogel that can promote the differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchyme stem cells (hMSCs). The research is of great significance for the development of tissue engineering repair materials. The research results have recently been published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Communications.
 
The concept of tissue engineering is to develop biological materials to repair, replace and improve the damaged organs and their functions in the human body. Hydrogels are biomaterials that are cross-linked to form a 3-D network. They can be used as a carrier that mimics the human extracellular matrix, encapsulating human stem cells or the patient’s autologous cells, and be implanted into the patient’s tissue defect site so as to promote tissue repair and achieve an ideal therapeutic effect. There is more evidence to show that the surrounding environment of human cells (extracellular matrix) has high dynamic mechanical properties. It indicates that the dynamic mechanical properties of hydrogels have an important role in promoting the normal functions of the stem cells and human cells implanted in the human body.
 
Professor Bian Liming’s team focuses on the development of medical hydrogel engineering and is one of the teams researching the most cutting-edge hydrogel technology which has a leading position internationally. In 2017, Professor Bian’s team successfully developed a new class of supramolecular hydrogels with a super dynamic microstructure based on the natural polymer of hyaluronic acid. The hydrogels can spontaneously adjust their microstructure to effectively support the massive proliferation, rapid assembly and directional differentiation of stem cells in the three-dimensional hydrogels, thereby promoting the repair and regeneration of damaged tissues and organs.
 
Professor Bian explained that the supramolecular hydrogels provide an excellent three-dimensional cell culture experiment tool for basic biomedical research such as stem cells and tumour in vitro models, and can be used as an effective delivery vehicle for therapeutic cells to serve many transformational types including regenerative medicine. “Hydrogels have unique physical properties and high biocompatibility. They can mimic the components of extracellular matrix and promote the replenishment of endoprogenitor cells. As a carrier of stem cells, the gels with ultra-dynamic mechanical properties encapsulated with the cultivated stem cells can be injected into the defect site to support the spreading and directed differentiation of the cells in them. They will assist the body in self-recovery and rebuild tissues, which can provide a strong foundation for the future development of regenerative medicine.” Professor Bian added.
 

The theoretical simulation and experimental validation of the capability of cell-adaptable ultra-dynamic hydrogels to support stem cell 3D growth and development.

Professor Liming Bian, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, CUHK (6th from left, back row) and his research team.

Professor WANG Yi, Associate Professor, Department of Physics, CUHK (middle) and her research team.

The super dynamic cross-linked hydrogels can promote the differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchyme stem cells.

 

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歐盟監管AI草案 港立法宜借鏡

全球人工智能市場迅速增長，但世界各地政府卻沒有盲目地全面接受，部分對人工智能應用的負面影響憂心忡忡。以歐洲為例，歐盟委員會於今年四月公報一份人工智能監管草案，建議禁止大規模監控及基於人工智能的社會信用系統。

Date: 
Monday, May 31, 2021
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Commentary
Media: 
Sing Tao Daily
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https://is.gd/IMARvg

假新聞內容複雜 機器難代人分析

大數據分析是人工智能背後的核心技術。在現實生活中，人工智能從人類日常生活的數據中學習人類文化，從中進行模仿，達至「機器代人」的目標，例如從市民閱讀報章、雜誌的習慣，了解他們的生活方式、日常興趣、甚至其政治立場等，然後針對性地提供個人化的智能服務。

Date: 
Monday, May 24, 2021
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Commentary
Media: 
HKET Daily
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https://is.gd/P95f9F

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創新及科技局近年努力推進創科，包括鼓勵政府部門多採用創科方案、推動再工業化、提升中、小學的STEM教育水平，投放更多基礎及應用資源去支持科研等。據悉政府於過去三年付出超過一千億港元，落實多個創科項目，目標之一是打造香港成為「國際創新及科技中心」，這已成為政府重點政策之一。然而，香港中、小學的STEM教育推廣，與大灣區的香港人才發展似乎互不銜接，若這情況未能盡早改善，香港年輕人未來在大灣區創業、就業的機會便會大打折扣。

Date: 
Monday, May 24, 2021
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Commentary
Media: 
Sing Tao Daily
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https://is.gd/NI8nwp

中大研納米探針 監察柏金遜病防惡化

中大工程學院生物醫學工程學系教授邊黎明、醫學院生物醫學學院教授容永豪及副教授柯亞領導的研究團隊最近研發一種「多功能納米探針」，可用於監察柏金遜病病情，預防惡化。他們未來將着重改良探針的使用方法，並且負載更為有效的治療劑以達到治療神經退化性疾病的最佳效果，提高納米探針的臨牀適用性。

Date: 
Thursday, May 20, 2021
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MingPao Daily
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中大研多功能納米探針 助及早檢測柏金遜症

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Date: 
Thursday, May 20, 2021
Media: 
Sky Post
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多功能納米探針 防柏金遜症惡化

中大研究團隊最近研發出一種多功能納米探針，可用來監察柏金遜病進展，有助預防病情進一步惡化。
 
柏金遜病是一種長者常見的神經退化性疾病，主要是由於腦內部分神經系統功能受損，不能製造多巴胺的神經傳導物質。
Date: 
Thursday, May 20, 2021
Media: 
Hong Kong Economic Times
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https://is.gd/EpTdXp

FINTECH SEMINAR SERIES : Transparency in Artificial Intelligence

Date : Jun 8, 2021

Time : 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

Event Details : https://cefar.cuhk.edu.hk/events

Speaker: John Richards, Distinguished Research Staff Member, Research, IBM US    

Venue: Live virtual class (Zoom)

Fee: Free Registration. A processing fee at HK$100 applies for proof of attendance

Registration Link:  https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/webform/view.php?id=13104939

Venue
https://cefar.cuhk.edu.hk/events
Date: 
Tuesday, June 8, 2021
Time
Tuesday, June 8, 2021 to 18:30
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FINTECH SEMINAR SERIES : Transparency in Artificial Intelligence
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CUHK Engineering Research Team Develops Novel Nanoprobes to Monitor Parkinson’s Disease and Possibly Slow Deterioration

Date: 
2021-05-19
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A collaborative research team led by Professor Liming Bian, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Professor Wing-Ho Yung and Professor Ya Ke, School of Biomedical Sciences (SBS), Faculty of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has pioneered the development of novel nanoprobes that can monitor the progress of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and could be useful in treatment for this brain disorder. The results have been published recently in the ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, an international journal published by the American Chemical Society.
 
PD is one of the major neurodegenerative disorders and mainly affects the elderly. It can be divided into the idiopathic type and those with secondary causes. Most cases are idiopathic, triggered by impaired functions of the nervous system in the brain, leading to the depletion of a neurotransmitter called dopamine. The PD symptoms of tremor, stiffness and sluggishness occur when there is not enough dopamine in the brain to transmit messages from nerve cells to the muscles. At this stage, there is still no unanimous conclusion on its clear cause.
 
Accumulating evidence has shown that large amounts of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) contribute to the pathogenesis of PD. Specifically, MMP3 triggers neuroinflammation in response to dopaminergic neuron apoptosis and causes PD symptoms. Researchers have found that the administration of MMP3 inhibitors can reduce inflammatory microglia activation and dopaminergic neuron death, indicating that MMP3 can be an effective early PD biomarker and target for clinical interventions. Professor Liming Bian believes that if a multifunctional nanoprobe is used to indicate and inhibit the abnormal activity of MMP3 in the brain, the symptoms of PD and other neurodegenerative diseases can be detected early, and the deterioration from the disease can be delayed in the early stage.
 
Development and application of the multifunctional nanoprobes
 
One of the major challenges in treating PD is to effectively detect and inhibit the early MMP3 activities to relieve the neural stress and inflammation responses. In early 2018, a PhD student Rui Li and a postdoctoral fellow Dr. Jinming Li from Professor Liming Bian’s laboratory jointly developed an enzyme responsive nanoprobe to detect the biomarkers in neurodegenerative diseases. It is described in full as an upconversion nanoparticles (UCNP)-peptide-aggregation-induced emission luminogen (AIEgen). In the next few years, the research team collaborated with Professor Wing-Ho Yung, Professor Ya Ke and Dr Yi Li to fabricate and optimise the UCNP-peptide-AIEgen nanoprobe tailoring it to monitor PD biomarker activities and test the effects of delivering therapeutic agents at the same time. After successful laboratory verification, Professor Yuk Wai Lee from the Prince of Wales Hospital joined the team to further validate the reporting efficiency of the MMP3-responsive nanoprobes in a mouse PD model. The team found that PD mouse brains injected with the UCNP-peptide-AIEgen nanoprobe exhibited a strong fluorescent signal under excitation, enabling the real-time detection of MMP3 activity for the first time in living animals and making that useful in monitoring cellular stress and inflammatory responses at early-stage PD. These results not only provide new tools to monitor PD progression but also open an opportunity to establish novel therapeutic strategies to treat PD and other neurodegenerative diseases.
 
“The research team will focus on improving the functions of the nanoprobe and loading more effective therapeutic agents to achieve the best result in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, and exploring its clinical applicability,” said Professor Liming Bian.
 
Professor Wing-Ho Yung said, “PD is just one of many neurodegenerative diseases that affect the brain. We hope this technology will also be able to be applied to other brain diseases.”
 
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Health and Medical Research Fund, General Research Fund, HK Research Grants Council, the Chow Yuk Ho Technology Centre for Innovative Medicine and the Gerald Choa Neuroscience Centre, CUHK.
 

Professor Liming Bian, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, CUHK (6th from left, back row) and his research team.

 

(From left) Professor Wing-Ho Yung, Dr Yi Li and Professor Ya Ke, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, CUHK

 

The design rationale of the UCNP-peptide-AIEgen nanoprobe for the detection and inhibition of biomarkers in PD models. Under the near-infrared detection laser, the reporting unit detects the inflammation in the deep brain by the MMP3-triggered fluorescence emission. Meanwhile, the nanoprobes deliver the therapeutic regents into the neuron cells to inhibit further neurodegeneration. The unique features of the nanoprobe platform provide new insights for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

 

 

 

 

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