>> Molecular Detection of Swine Influenza H1N1
- Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, May 21, 2009 -
Researchers at HKU have developed a new RT-PCR assays for the rapid detection of cases of the newly emergent H1N1 virus. This techinque using conventional agarose gel electrophoretic separation for identification of PCR products does not require expensive rapid PCR equipment and could be used in laboratories worldwide. These assays are described in Clinical Chemistry journal.


Download the article here.

>> AoE Seminars
- Friday, 13 March 2009, 3:30PM, Lecture Theatre 2, Cheung Kung Hai Conference Centre, G/F, William MW Mong Block, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine -
Seminar 1
Title: Humoral and cellular response in infants < 6 months old after
intramuscular or intradermal influenza vaccination
Speakers: Drs Wenwei Tu and Susan Chiu, Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University of Hong Kong

Seminar 2
Title: Pseudoviral particles: The "swiss army knife" of the virologist
Speaker: Dr Jean-Michel Garcia, HKU-Pasteur Research Centre

>> Technology Seminar
- Converging into focus: HTS, HCS and stem cells by Richard M. Eglen, Wednesday, March 11, 2009, 3:00 p.m., Seminar Room 6, LG/F, Laboratory Block, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine -
Abstract:
Over the past decade, the use of cell-based assays has accelerated in modern drug discovery. Indeed, the majority of assays in either target validation or lead identification/optimization all employ cell-based systems. A very wide range of target classes can now be addressed by cell-based approaches including G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), kinases (TKs, RTKs), nuclear hormone receptors (NHRs) and ion channels. One implicit assumption in these approaches is that the functional response provides a better definition of both the target physiology as well as its pharmacological interaction with novel compounds.
However, classical functional assays frequently use cell phenotypes that differ markedly from those found in human pathology. In particular, the reliance on the use of immortalized clonal cells, often optimized for the automation and detection systems in the HTS laboratory, raises concerns as to the clinical relevance of both the target validation studies as well as lead compounds selected for subsequent development. Consequently, some drug discovery programs are moving towards a broader adoption of primary and stem cells, as well as using sophisticated cell-based assays which employ high content analysis (HCA) and high content screening (HCS) techniques.
This presentation will discuss these emerging trends in drug discovery, with an emphasis on assays for a key drug discovery target classes, the GPCRs.

Richard M. Eglen
Richard M. Eglen (Ph.D. Molecular Pharmacology) is President, Bio-discovery, at PerkinElmer. He has held numerous executive management positions in the Life Science industry being most recently Vice President and General Manager, Drug Discovery Reagents at PerkinElmer. Until 2006, he was Chief Scientific Officer at DiscoveRx Corp. In 2000 he was appointed as Vice President of the Center for Biological Research at Roche and previously, Vice President and Director of the Institute of Pharmacology at Syntex Research.
Eglen has worked extensively in the GPCR, kinase and ion channel fields, from the perspectives of both drug discovery and assay technologies. He is the author of over 280 publications, book chapters, and patents, and serves on numerous NIH advisory and journal editorial boards, including ASSAY and Drug Development Technologies, of which he is currently deputy editor.

>> A new candidate vaccine against avian flu.
- Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, March 1, 2009 -
Researchers at HKU and NIH have developed in a collaborative project a multivalent vaccine against H5N1 by piggy-backing it on the vaccinia virus vector. The HKU team included Leo Poon and Connie Leung (Department of Microbiology), John Nicholls (Department of Pathology) and Malik Peiris (Department of Microbiology and Scientific Director of HKU-PRC) who was one of the senior authors of the study supported through the Area of Excellence program on the “Control of pandemic and inter-pandemic influenza” funded by the University Grants Council of Hong Kong.

The authors adopted a strategy based on the use of a “live delivery vector, the incorporation of a repertoire of antigenic targets to achieve broad cross protection, and the incorporation of a molecular adjuvant to enhance the breadth and durability of vaccine-induced immune responses.” (Vaccinia virus-based multivalent H5N1 avian influenza vaccines adjuvanted with IL-15 confer sterile cross-clade protection in mice. J Immunol. 2009 Mar 1;182(5):3063-71). This vaccine induced cross-neutralizing antibodies as well as robust cellular immune responses in vaccinated mice and conferred sterile cross-protection with 100% efficacy against H5N1 viruses of different clades. Although it remains to be seen whether the vaccine will work also in humans, this strategy may also allow production of a cheap and stable vaccine that would be more easily available to developing countries. For more details, read the press release of the LKS Faculty of Medicine.

>> New Publication in Emerging Infectious Diseases
- Published article -
The opinion article entitled "Characterization of avian influenza viruses A (H5N1) from wild birds, Hong Kong, 2004-2008" by Smith G.et al. is published in Emerging Infectious Diseases.

>> New Publication in PLoS Pathogens
- Published article -
The opinion article entitled "Infectious diseases of the nervous system and their impact in developing countries" by Bruzzone R. et al. is published in PLoS Pathogens.

>> Scientific Congress
- 8th Asia Pacific Congress on Medical Virology, Viral Diseases: New Challenges - New Solutions, February 26-28, 2009, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre -
Asia has been at the epicentre of emerging viral diseases during the last decade, with enterovirus 71, Nipah, SARS, avian flu and chikungunya being some recent examples. The 8th Asia Pacific Congress on Medical Virology, which will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on Feb 26-28, 2009, will provide a forum to discuss some of these challenges. This 8th edition is organized by the Hong Kong Society for Microbiology and Infection under the auspices of The Asia Pacific Society of Medical Virology. The congress is held in the region once every three years and benefits the Asia Pacific Society for Medical Virology (APSMV) members who are mainly from developing countries since 1988. Previous meetings have been held in Singapore, Bangkok, Bali, Beijing, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur and New Delhi.

Pr Malik Peiris, Scientific Director of HKU-PRC is the Congress Chairman for the Organization Committee.
Dr Jean-Michel Garcia will present the Centre's work on "Pseudotyoed lentiviral particles: multi-potent tool for the investigation of influenza" (Oral Presentation, Abstract #89, Viral Diagnostics, Presentation 1, Feb 27 Feb).
Dr Pei Gang Wang will present the Centre's work on "Characterization od dengue 1 viral like particle ant its intracellular trafficking" (Oral Presentation, Abstract #86, Vector Borne Diseases, Presentation 4, Feb 28 Feb).
Dr François Kien wil present the Centre's work on "Definition of the cellular interactomes of SARS-CoV and the highly pathogenic Influenza H5N1 virus: identification of human cellular regulators of viral entry, assembly and egress" (Poster, Abstract #052, Influenza & Other Respiratory Viruses, Feb 26, 2009).
Pr Vincent Deubel, Director of Institut Pasteur Shanghai - Chinese Academy of Sciences and Dr Philippe Buchy, Head of molecular virology lab at Institut Pasteur Cambodia are among the invited speakers.

The scientific programme is available here.

>> New Publications
- Published Articles -
The article entitled "Induction of proinflammatory cytokines in primary human macrophages by influenza A virus (H5N1) is selectively regulated by IFN regulatory factor 3 and p38 MAPK " by Hui K. P. et al. is published in Journal of Immunology.
The article entitled "High-throughput screening using pseudotyped lentiviral particles: A strategy for the identification of HIV-1 inhibitors in a cell-based assay " by Garcia J. M. et al. is published in Antiviral Research.