Research Projects
Manipulation of Bone Metabolism by Regulating Bivalent Cations in Bone Tissue Microenvironment

Bone healing or repair is a biological process that can take weeks to months and patients suffering from bone fractures usually need extended time off work and away from normal activities. In particular, as baby boomers age, osteoporosis and fractures related to fragile bones is becoming a major problem needing urgent attention. There have been many attempts to enhance bone repair by mechanical means such as insertion of metallic implants and biological means such as the use of growth factors. Although anti-catabolic drugs can indirectly induce bone formation by suppressing the osteoclastic activity, atypical bone fractures have been documented sometime when this drug is prescribed to patients for a prolonged period of time. This phenomenon may be attributed to over-suppression of bone turnover that alters the bone strength, thereby compromising the mechanical properties. As many such treatments are accompanied by potential complications, there is extensive search in identifying a safer, more economical, and faster method to enhance bone formation and repair.

Bivalent cations e.g., magnesium has been shown to stimulate bone growth and healing by regulating the osteoblast, osteoclast and macrophage activity. Mg is also actively involved in the mineralisation process which controls bone formation and resorption. However, an excessively high concentration of magnesium is detrimental to osteoblasts and even prevents the formation of the bone extracellular matrix. While Mg ions are naturally found in the human body, it is still unclear why a particular local concentration of Mg is important to the regulation of osteogenesis. Hence, our research team has studied the effects of different concentrations of magnesium on various cell lines including osteoblasts, chondrocytes, and mesenchymal stem cells. The results demonstrate that a specific dosage of magnesium can significantly up-regulate the cellular activities in the cell lines monitored. Hence, our team develops various implantable cation-based bio-composites that enable precise controlled release of magnesium to convince in-situ bone formation. We believe that these discoveries will open up an exciting prospect of using bivalent cations in bone regeneration. This process is potentially cheaper, simpler, and safer than other current approaches.

Professor KWK Yeung, Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology

Professor Kelvin Yeung, who has been endowed by Ng Chun-Man Professorship in Orthopaedic Bioengineering, serves as a tenured full professor, chief of the research division, and departmental research and postgraduate advisor in the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine (HKUMed), at The University of Hong Kong. He is a renowned orthopedic biomaterial researcher, focusing on antibacterial coatings, 3D bio-printing, and musculoskeletal tissue engineering. His impressive h-index (Scopus) is 83, with over 25,000 citations and 91 (Google Scholar) with 29,000 citations and an i10-index of 271. He has been recognized as one of the Highly Cited Researchers 2023 and 2024 (cross-field), Highly Ranked Scholar 2022 (Prior Five Years) in the field of Medicine by ScholarGPS (Global ranking: #7 in Biomaterial; #14 in Antibacterial activity; #16 in Orthopaedic Surgery), Top Cited Scholar 2024, ranking among the Top 1% Scholars Worldwide in the field of biomaterials by Clarivate Analytics' Essential Science Indicators (ESI) and among the World's Top 2% Scientists in standardized citation indicators (Biomedical Engineering) since 2014. In 2024, he ranked #1845 globally and #483 in China under the category of materials science (Research.com). In 2024, he was elected as a Lifetime Fellow of the International Association of Advanced Materials.

Biography
HKU Scholars Hub
ORCID
wkkyeung@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.