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中大基因工程隊伍設計「甲型流感病毒現場快速測試」 在國際遺傳工程機器設計競賽奪得金獎
香港中文大學（中大）理學院生命科學學院及工程學院十五位本科生組成的基因工程隊伍，憑著設計一款嶄新的甲型流感病毒快速測試方法，早前在美國波士頓舉行的國際遺傳工程機器設計(International Genetically Engineered Machine，簡稱iGEM)世界賽中榮獲金獎，乃中大第五度在這比賽中奪金，成績驕人，參賽作品極具應用潛力，或有助醫學界對抗日益嚴重的禽流感病毒威脅。 中大隊伍今年參賽項目的主題為「巧換博士:甲型流感病毒現場快速測試」(Dr. Switch: A Rapid On-Site Method for Subtyping Influenza A virus) 。現時，大部分病毒樣本測試均在實驗室進行，運輸過程加上測試時間，往往需時一天或更久，即使有其他方法進行快速測試，但只能檢測病毒的類型 (即甲、乙或丙型)，未能分辨其亞種(即H1N1、H5N1或H7N9等)，可能錯失控制疫情的黃金時間。基因工程隊於是研發一套甲型流感病毒快速測試系統，能夠利用病毒的核糖核酸(Ribonucleic acid，簡稱RNA)分辨其種類，而且測試能夠在動物農莊、口岸或家禽市場等地點，即場進行測試，數小時內便有結果。 這個測試的運作原理來自指尖轉換(Toehold Switches)的設計。指尖轉換是一款人造生物感測器，理論上能轉換任何核酸分子的結構，而流感病毒正是核酸病毒的一種。當核酸分子轉換結構後，便會引發基因表達的出現，從而提供明確、能夠目測的訊息，例如測試劑轉變顏色，表示被檢測分子存在。科學家成功利用這個原理檢測寨卡病毒。 中大基因工程隊是首支隊伍開發了一個平台(http://2017.igem.org/Team:Hong_Kong-CUHK) ，用作設計指尖轉換用的核酸序列，供科學界免費使用。中大這個項目和英國牛津大學及瑞士洛桑理工學院同被提名為最佳診斷設計獎，最後該奬項由牛津大學奪得。 基因工程隊在設計病毒測試方法時，特意訪問了不同持份者，包括醫學專家、政府和雞販，希望測試方法更迎合使用者的需要。例如，他們原先估計雞販有興趣自行為雞隻做病毒檢測，減少禽流感擴散造成的大量金錢損失。不過，他們訪問一家有自家農場的本地餐廳負責人後，發現雞販的想法與他們估計的相反。雞販認為檢測應交由中立組織或政府進行，自行檢測禽流感的誘因不大。學生其後亦有聯絡相關政府部門，例如衛生署、漁農自然護理署等，這些訪問都讓學生進一步了解流感檢測的具體流程和用家實際需要，對研究有直接幫助。 基因工程隊的指導教授之一、中大生命科學學院副教授陳廷峰教授表示：「這班來自不同學系的本科生參與科學研究的熱誠，令人讚賞。他們在短短一年多內，由訂立主題開始，過程中經歷多次失敗，甚至缺乏研究經費，最終取得驕人成果，展現的團隊精神，匯聚分子生物學和工程學系的知識，至為難得。希望他們保持這份熱誠，繼續參與科研，貢獻社會。」
iGEM比賽簡介 今年共有331隊來自世界各地的隊伍參賽，只有108隊奪得金獎。 iGEM比賽為國際合成生物學界每年一度的盛事。iGEM由麻省理工學院於2004年創立，旨在促進學生在合成生物學的學習、交流與合作，以培養合成生物學人才。比賽隊伍須利用基本且可交替的生物部件，設計及建立有效的生物系統。參賽作品水平超卓，有效推動解決醫學、食品營養、能源及環境等方面難題的硏究。
2017年12月4日
http://www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk/en/press_detail.php?id=2667 >>Media: https://news.mingpao.com/pns/dailynews/web_tc/article/20171207/s00011/1512583853159 http://s.nextmedia.com/realtime/a.php?i=20171207&s=6996647&a=57549850 |
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4 Dec 2017
A genetic engineering team of 15 undergraduate students of life science and biomedical engineering at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), has been awarded a Gold medal at the international Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) 2017 Giant Jamboree held in Boston, USA, for developing a novel rapid test for an influenza subtype. The winning project has extensive potential applications and may help fight the growing threat of a bird flu epidemic. This is the fifth time that a CUHK team has won gold in the annual premier synthetic biology competition. The winning project designed by the CUHK team was named “Dr. Switch: A Rapid On-Site Method for Subtyping Influenza A virus”. Presently, diagnostic testing for viruses is only available in the laboratory and it often takes a day or more for the result to come back, due to lengthy transportation and testing time. There is a rapid test which is quicker, but the result is preliminary (Only type A, B or C) which cannot show the subtype of the virus (H1N1, H5N1 or H7N9, etc.). The CUHK iGEM team has developed a rapid test system that can distinguish the subtype of the Influenza A virus. The test can be done on-site in animal farms, at borders or in markets, and the results will come within hours, which will improve anti-epidemic efficiency. This novel test is based on the Toehold Switch mechanism that, in theory, could detect any RNA target sequence, including the Influenza A virus. A Toehold switch, acting as a biosensor, will undergo conformational change and gene expression, which will produce a visible signal like colour change, in the presence of a specific RNA target – known as a trigger. It was recently used for the detection of Zika. The CUHK iGEM team is the first group to have developed a web-based tool (http://2017.igem.org/Team:Hong_Kong-CUHK) to help researchers designing Toehold Switch, and applied this method to detect influenza viral subtypes that could work in hours. Their project was nominated for the Best Diagnostic Project, together with the University of Oxford and the Ecole Polytech Fed de Lausanne (EPFL). The prize went to Oxford in the end. Students have interviewed various stakeholders, including medical experts, government organisations and most importantly, poultry workers. They hoped the test can cater more to the needs of users. For example, the students at first estimated that poultry workers would be interested in conducting virus tests for their own poultry, which could reduce the financial losses caused by the spread of bird flu. However, when they visited a poultry farm owner, they received an answer different from what they expected. The owner’s view was that the test should be conducted by the government or an independent inspection body. Students then consulted government organisations such as the Department of Health, and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. All these visits allowed students to further understand the procedures for influenza testing. Prof. Chan Ting Fung, one of the instructors of the team and associate professor of the School of Life Science at CUHK, remarked, “The enthusiasm of the undergraduate students for scientific research is admirable. They have spent just over a year, selected their topic of research, failed many times, but finally they achieved a remarkable result. They also showed team spirit and demonstrated the importance of combining molecular biology and engineering knowledge. I hope they will continue to uphold their enthusiasm, participate in scientific research and contribute to society.”
About iGEM Competition There were 331 teams from around the world participating in this year’s world giant jamboree, and of them only 108 teams achieved gold. iGEM is an annual premier synthetic biology competition worldwide for high school, undergraduate and postgraduate students. It was established by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2004 to foster students’ learning in synthetic biology, promote collaboration among students and nurture biology talents. Participating teams are required to specify, design, build and test simple biological systems made from standard, interchangeable biological parts. The accomplishments of these student teams often lead to important advances or provide solutions to tackle problems in medicine, food and nutrition, energy and the environment.
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Stephen Hawking once said:
“It surprises me how disinterested we are today about things like physics, space, the universe and philosophy of our existence, our purpose, our final destination. It’s a crazy world out there. Be curious”.
I wouldn’t say “disinterested” is the word, but rather students tend to be swamped by school, and life, and assignments, and exams.. that leaves little time for curiosity at the end of the day. Yet, that’s no excuse! So, as a group of 8 students across 4 faculties with a passion for reading, knowledge and writing, we are launching CUHK’s unique intellectual magazine titled, you guess it - CUriosity.
We hope you enjoy reading, and that it stimulates you to ask big questions, and better yet - search for answers.
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Issue 1 (Spring 2018) Issue 2 (Spring 2019) |
Biochemical Analysis
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Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (Hitachi Z2300 flame) |
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Flow Cytometer (BD) |
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Liquid Scintillation Counter (Beckman Coulter LS6500) |
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Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometer (Agilent) |
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Ultra Pressure Liquid Chromatography (Thermo Fisher) |
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Biochemical Purification
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Fast Protein Liquid Chromatograph (Amersham Pharmacia 18-1118-67) |
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High Speed Centrifuge (Beckman Avanti JE) |
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Liquid Chromatography System (BioRad Duoflow 760-2258) |
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Nano LC Systems (Dionex LC Packings 920) |
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Ultra-centrifuge (Beckman Coulter Optima L-100XP) |
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Biophysical Instrumentation
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Fourier-Transformation Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometer (Bruker Daltonics Apex Ultra 7.0 T) |
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UltrafleXtreme MALDI ToF/ToF System (Bruker) |
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| Analytical Ultracentrifuge ProteomeLab XL-1 (Beckman Coulter) | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
| MicroScale Thermophoresis Monolith NT.115 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
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| Orbitrap Mass Spectrometer (Thermofisher Science) | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
Microscopy and Imaging System
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Live Cell Imaging System (Carl Zeiss / Olympus) |
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Stereo Confocal Microscope (Nikon) |
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| Confocal Microscope (Leica / Olympus) | Mr. Freddie Kwok & This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
| Scanning Electron Microscope (Hitachi S-3400N) | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
| Transmission Electron Microscope (Hitachi H-7650) | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
Cell / Plant Culture
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Animal Culture Room |
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Plant Culture Room |
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Bacterial Culture Room |
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Yeast Culture Room |
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Algal Culture Room |
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Virus Lab |
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| Integrated Growth Chamber Facility | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
Protein Center and Crystallography
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MMW UG01 |
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Centre for Cell and Developmental Biology
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RRSSB LG113 |
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Core Facilities Genome Sequencing Laboratory
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| RRSSB LG211 |
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