We are delighted to share the remarkable news that two of Dr Ma Cong’s RPg students have respectively received the Best Presentation Award and the Best Presentation Runner-up at the 2nd PolyU Research Student Conference (PRSC 2024).
Aiming at promoting innovative and high-quality research, PRSC is the flagship research student conference, providing Research Postgraduate (RPg) students and the students of College of Undergraduate Researchers and Innovators (CURI) in PolyU with the opportunity to present their research work and findings. PRSC also provides an excellent opportunity for students from different disciplines to network with peers, and establishes a collaborative and supportive research community at PolyU.
Award Winners:
Jiang Liu - Best Presentation Award
Project: Discovery of antimicrobials targeting RNA polymerase-sigma factor interaction
Their research group focuses on the development of novel antibiotics, which is a complex task necessitating the collaboration among colleagues in computer science, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and medicinal chemistry. His work mainly lies in the design and structural modifications of antimicrobial agents. In the preliminary studies, they have identified a class of antimicrobial agents that can inhibit bacterial transcription. By targeting the interaction between bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP) and Sigma factors, these compounds exhibited potent inhibitory effects against various drug-resistant bacteria, including MRSA and VRSA. Currently, they have synthesized nearly 400 potential antibacterial compounds and are exploring their conjugation with peptides using different linkers to address various types of infections.
Sin-Yu Ke - Best Presentation Runner-up
Project: Development of bacterial transcription antitermination inhibitors as novel antimicrobial agents
Their research team aims to develop novel antibacterial agents that target the bacterial transcription process. Her project focuses on developing bacterial transcription antitermination inhibitors that would interrupt the protein-protein interaction between the N-utilization substance proteins B and E (Nus B and E) complex. MC4 was identified as the hit compound from preliminary studies, and her task is to design and synthesize a series of MC4 derivatives to discover a potential drug candidate.
Congratulations to Dr Ma Cong and his exceptional RPg students for their remarkable achievements at the 2nd PolyU Research Student Conference! Their dedication to advancing research excellence is truly commendable and serves as an inspiration to the entire Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology.
