Research Projects
Disease modeling for neuromuscular diseases using patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells

Stem cell research for the translational aspects of neuromuscular disorders: Use of patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells differentiated affected target tissues as disease model to study the underlying mechanisms and potential therapeutic treatment, mainly focus on dystrophinopathy.

Professor SHS Chan, Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine

Professor Sophelia HS Chan is a Specialist in Paediatric Neurology and the Clinical Associate Professor of the Paediatric Neurology Team in the Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, LSK Faculty of Medicine, at The University of Hong Kong. She also serves as the Team Lead and Honorary Consultant of the Paediatric Neurology Division at the Hong Kong Children's Hospital.

Professor Chan graduated from the University of Hong Kong, completed her Pediatric EMG training at Boston Children’s Hospital, and obtained her Paediatric Neuromuscular and Research fellowship at the Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre in the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, UK.

Her research interests focus on rare paediatric neurological diseases, particularly hereditary neuromuscular disorders and immune-mediated neurological diseases. She and her team diagnosed the first case of anti-NMDAR encephalitis in Hong Kong and has conducted extensive studies on paediatric patients with subacute anti-NMDAR encephalitis and acute immune-mediated peripheral neuropathies in Hong Kong.

Professor Chan aims to establish a patient registry for all cases of immune-mediated encephalitis, peripheral neuropathies, and myositis in Hong Kong. She is the principal investigator of multiple international phase 3 clinical trials for spinal muscular atrophy and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Her grant-awarded research projects include the application of genomic analysis and AI for diagnosing rare neuromuscular diseases, as well as using patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells to differentiate into cardiomyocytes and skeletal muscles for disease modelling.

Biography
HKU Scholars Hub
ORCID
sophehs@hku.hk

For more information or to express interest for this project, please email the supervisor or the specified contact point in the project description.  Interested candidates are advised to enclose with your email:

1. your CV,
2. a brief description of your research interest and experience, and
3. two reference letters (not required for HKUMed UG students seeking MRes[Med]/URIS projects).

Information on the research programme, funding support and admission documentations could be referenced online at the Research Postgraduate Admissions website. General admission enquiries should be directed to rpgmed@hku.hk.

HKUMed MBBS students interested in the Master of Research in Medicine (MRes[Med]) programme may visit the programme website for more information.  

HKUMed UG students interested in the Undergraduate Research Internship Scheme (URIS) may visit the scheme’s website for more information.