Research at FAST

6 Research Focus Our department currently focuses on 4 major research areas: • Drug Discovery and Cancer • Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology • Food Safety and Technology • Materials and Sustainable Chemistry Our mission is to deliver high quality impactful research projects that promote health and fight diseases. We employ multi- faceted strategies to promote interdisciplinary research efforts and establish a vibrant and sustainable research environment that generates excellent research positively impacting society and industry. Drug Discovery and Cancer (D&C): We aim to understand the pathogenesis of several cancer types and by doing so fabricate drugs to combat them. We have established a Drug Development Platform to generate new drugs for commercialization. Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology (MCCB): We focus on structure and mass spectrometry-based metabolomics to examine the therapeutic effects of cancer drugs and traditional Chinese medicinal herbs. Food Safety and Technology (FST): We aim to identify, preserve, package and promote beneficial food ingredients to improve health. We also study the effects of food-borne toxins and heavy metals on human health. Our Food Safety & Technology Research Centre has become established as a Hong Kong food safety hub. Materials and Sustainable Chemistry (MSC): We focus on efficient renewable energy conversion and storage for sustainable development, aligning with industrial interests and the Hong Kong Government's Smart City initiative. Healthy Living through Functional Food Facilitating the establishment of an evidence-based functional food industry in Hong Kong and Mainland China, our department is actively collaborating with major health food companies to transform natural bio-resources into novel functional foods for chronic disease prevention and treatment as well as promoting general health. We are exploring how diet and Chinese medicinal herbs can improve bone health and prevent age-related diseases as well as delineating mechanisms involved in mediating their protective effects. We have also been developing functional foods from natural and bioactive polysaccharides as well as investigating the prebiotic functions and anti-inflammatory activities of Chinese medicinal fungi. Our long-term goal is the creation of a high-quality, safe and evidence-based culture in the health food industry. Impact Stories New Platforms for Developing Anti-cancer Drugs The discovery of arginase and flavonoid dimer as potent anti-cancer drugs has opened up a variety of cancer treatment applications, including the reversing of cancer drug resistance, the development of oral anti-cancer drugs as well as effective brain cancer, liver cancer and leukemia treatments. Our anti-cancer applications of arginase and flavonoid dimer, already proven safe in animal studies, have won awards and been licensed to our industry partners for further clinical trials. Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology