Research Areas

Department of Surgery

Why are some people more prone to develop cancers?

How can we know the functions of a gene?

How can we trace cancer cells in mice?

How can we study human cancers in animals?

Major Research Areas

Breast cancer:

  • Breast cancer genetics, biomarkers and translational research.
  • Advanced surgical technologies in management of breast disease and breast cancer.
  • Epidemiological and psychosocial studies in breast cancer.
  • Bio-engineering research in breast cancer.
  • Oncological clinical trials.

Contact Person(s)

Professor A. Kwong
Tel: 2255 4773
Email: avakwong@hku.hk

Colorectal cancer:

  • Transanal total mesorectal excision for low rectal cancer
  • Application of robotic surgery in colorectal surgery
  • Functional outcomes after rectal resection
  • Screening of colorectal cancer
  • Novel biomarkers for tumour recurrence and metastasis.

Contact Person(s)

Dr C.C. Foo
Tel: 2255 4389
Email: ccfoo@hku.hk

Endocrine surgery:

  • Thyroid cancer and surgery
  • Parathyroid disease and surgery
  • Functional and non-functional adrenal tumours
  • Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours
  • Thermal ablation of benign thyroid nodules
  • Value-based health care delivery

Contact Person(s)

Professor B.H.H. Lang
Tel: 2255 4232
Email: blang@hku.hk

Esophageal and gastric cancers:

  • Animal cancer models.
  • Treatment resistance mechanism.
  • New biomarkers and treatments.
  • Epigenetic studies.
  • Bioimaging.

Contact Person(s)

Professor S.Y.K. Law (Esophageal cancer)
Tel: 2255 4774
Email: slaw@hku.hk

Professor K.M. Chu (Gastric cancer)
Tel: 2255 4637
Email: chukm@hku.hk

Head and neck cancers/Plastic and reconstruction surgery/ENT:

  • Swallowing dysfunction in head and neck cancer patients
  • Robotic surgery in head and nceck area.

Contact Person(s)

Dr R.K.Y. Tsang
Tel: 2255 2208
Email: rkytsang@hku.hk

Head and neck cancers

  • Epigenetics.
  • Immune responses.
  • Biological therapy.

Contact Person(s)

Dr S.T.S. Wong
Tel: 2255 2208
Email: wongtsa@hku.hk

Liver transplantation and liver regeneration:

  • Transplant immunology and oncology
  • Fatty liver diseases and NASH
  • Biomarker, mechanism and treatment of disease recurrence after liver transplantation.
  • Mechanism and therapeutic implication of liver regeneration.

Liver cancer:

  • Cancer immunology and tumor microenviornment − mechanism and therapeutics
  • Hepatitis B recurrence − mechanism and therapeutics
  • NASH and cancer
  • Cholangiocarcinoma

Contact Person(s)

Professor K. Man
Tel: 3917 9646
Email: kwanman@hku.hk

Hepatocellular carcinoma:

  • Cancer genomics in hepatocellular carcinoma
  • Cellular mechanism in associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy or portal vein embolisation
  • Biomarkers, mechanisms and assessment of efficacy of immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma

Contact Person(s)

Dr A.C.Y. Chan
Tel: 2255 3025
Email: acchan@hku.hk

Hepatocellular carcinoma:

  • Molecular mechanisms and therapeutic targets of hepatocarcinogenesis and metastasis
  • Chemoresistance-associated molecular targets
  • Biomarkers for post-operative hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence

Contact Person(s)

Dr K.T.P. Ng
Tel: 3917 9653
Email: ledodes@hku.hk

Neurooncology:

  • Translational laboratory research in molecular biology of malignant brain tumour, focusing on glioblastoma multiforme
  • Therapeutics to overcome chemotherapy drug resistance
  • The role of tumour microenvironment in malignant phenotypes
  • Interference with metabolic function cell death pathways

Cerebrovascular diseases:

  • Intracerebral haemorrhages in experimental animals
  • Neuroprotective measures to improve functional outcome
  • Immunological response to brain haemorrhages and therapeutic opportunities

Contact Person(s)

Professor G.K.K. Leung
Tel: 2255 3368 / 2255 3773
Email: gilberto@hku.hk

Molecular mechanistic study of developmental disorders and cancers commonly found in children:

  • Molecular basic study of Hirschsprung's disease and other related neurocristopathies.
  • Molecular study of enteric nervous system development in human and mouse.

Translational research of birth defects and related diseases:

  • Genetics, stem cell and regenerative medicine: translating disease mechanism discoveries to treatment of biliary atresia
  • Towards precision diagnostics and regenerative therapies for Hirschsprung’s disease: from genomics to cells to tissues
  • Molecular genetic study of anorectal malformations
  • Childhood cancers

Contact Person(s)

Professor P.K.H. Tam
Tel: 2255 4850 / 2255 3536
Email: paultam@hku.hk

Dr V.C.H. Lui
Tel: 3917 9607
Email: vchlui@hku.hk

Stem cells and disease modelling:

  • Molecular bases of Hirschsprung's disease and other related neurocristopathies
  • Molecular study of enteric nervous system development in human and mouse
  • Neural crest stem cells biology
  • Human pluripotent stem cell based cell- and organoid- models of genetic disorders
  • Tumour stem/initiating cells

Contact Person(s)

Professor E.S.W. Ngan
Tel: 2831 5410
Email: engan@hku.hk

Nanomedicine:

  • Nanomedicine in wound healing and regeneration
  • Development of new drugs and drug delivery systems using nanotechnology

Thoracic disorders in children:

  • Understanding the pathogenesis of congenital pulmonary malformation
  • Using lung organoid technology as models for paediatric thoracic disease

Paedaitric solid tumors:

  • High throughput new drug screening for cancer using 3D culture

Contact Person(s)

Dr K.K.Y. Wong
Tel: 2255 4850

Study of congenital paediatric conditions with advanced technology:

  • Studying congenital hepatobiliary disorders with liver organoid.
  • Pathogenesis in biliary atresia.
  • Tissue engineering in paediatric surgery.

Contact Person(s)

Dr H.Y. Chung
Tel: 2255 4850
Email: chungphy@hku.hk

Urology cancer:

  • Mechanisms of tumourigenesis.
  • Epigenetic studies.
  • Biomarkers for renal cell cancers.
  • Treatment for prostate cancer disease.
  • Advanced prostate cancer diagnositics.

Other urological diseases:

  • Urolithiasis.
  • Complex genito-urethral reconstruction.

Contact Person(s)

Dr W. Lam
Tel: 2255 4310
Email: lamwayne@hku.hk

Vascular disease and surgery:

  • Pathogenesis, haemodynamics and endovascular treatment of aortic aneurysms and aortic dissections.
  • Epidemiology and atherogenesis of peripheral arterial and venous diseases.

Contact Person(s)

Professor S.W.K. Cheng
Tel: 2255 4962
Email: wkcheng@hku.hk

Chairman of Departmental Research Postgraduate Committee

Professor K. Man
Tel: 3917 9646
Email: kwanman@hku.hk