| (Hong Kong, 7 September
2007) Dr Li Ka-shing said today at the opening of the Li
Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences that his gifts to the institute
are dedicated to all the men and women who have committed to the
defense of health and to the well- being of mankind.
In addition to the HKD100 million given to the institute in 2005,
Li Ka Shing Foundation also announced today the establishment of
the second Li Ka Shing Professorship. The first was held by Dr Dennis
Lo who also serves as the Director of the Institute. CUHK Vice-Chancellor
has nominated Professor Hsiao-chang Chan, Professor of Physiology
and Director of Epithelial Cell Biology Research Centre to be the
endowed professor for this HKD20 million new professorship.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Dr Li called for seamless collaboration
between academia, industry and government if we want to capitalize
on the momentum of fast pace development in biotechnology.
He said, "The innovative nature of drug research and development
to decipher and utilize advanced knowledge from the broad spectrum
of life sciences research relies heavily on intense collaboration
between industry and academia. It depends on far-sighted investments
as well as resources and policy support from the government."
He quoted 19th century renowned scientist Louis Pasteur's appeal
to Napoleon III "Physicists and chemists without laboratories are
like soldiers without arms on the battlefield."
He also shared the famous sad story of the chemist-healer with
the 10-year-old Louise Pelletier to articulate the importance of
empathy to the patients. He said being ill can be a very lonely
journey and no one can truly understand the isolation, uncertainty
of illness and the unyielding pain.
"We must strive to be intuitive and empathetic, bringing relevance
and courage in a time of weakness and vulnerability," said Dr Li.
"It is my hope that we see compassion as something beyond feeling
- that we couple it with a sense of duty to each other. In this
way, we will be more aware of others - of their perspective - and
strive to do what is appropriate and right."
Also speaking at the ceremony, Prof. Lawrence J. Lau, Vice-Chancellor
of CUHK, said, "The Chinese University is very honoured to
have received this generous support of our clinical and health science
research from Dr Li Ka Shing and his Foundation. This donation affirms
the achievements of our medical team and injects tremendous momentum
into their research efforts. The Foundation has agreed to fund the
second Li Ka Shing Professorship. On behalf of The Chinese University
of Hong Kong, I would like to thank Dr Li once again and I look
forward to receiving his continuous support and advice."
Professor Hsiao-chang Chan is a leading authority in epithelial
cell-related multidisciplinary research and has contributed significantly
to a number of important discoveries, including a cell shrinkage-activated
cation channel, a novel defensin molecule in the epididymis for
sperm maturation and the role of a cell membrane protein, the cystic
fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), in fertility
and infertility.
These discoveries have not only shed lights on the understanding
of how epithelial secretions affect our bodily functions, reproduction
in particular, but also provided leads to the development of new
strategies for diagnosis and treatment of infertility as well as
for contraception. Professor Chan has received a number of prestigious
awards including National Natural Sciences Award of China in 1997,
Distinguished Young Investigator Award by the National Natural Science
Foundation of China in 2000 and Croucher Senior Research Fellow
2007-2008.
A distinguishing feature of the Li Ka Shing Institute of Health
Sciences is the innovative and interdisciplinary approach emphasizing
research projects that aimed at translating advances in basic and
molecular sciences into tests and treatments that will benefit patients
and promote health.
Also attending today's ceremony were Council Chairman of CUHK Dr
Edgar Cheng, Chairman of the Hospital Authority Mr Anthony Wu, Chief
Executive of the Hospital Authority Mr Shane Solomon, Dean of the
Faculty of Medicine of CUHK Professor Tai-fai Fok and Director of
the Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences Professor Dennis Lo.
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