The following is issued on behalf of the University Grants Committee:

     The Research Grants Council (RGC) will present its second public lecture this year under the theme "Genetics, DNA Therapy and Personalised Medicine/Novel Cancer Treatments" on July 29 (Saturday) at the Hong Kong Science Museum.

     The RGC has invited Clinical Professor of the Department of Pathology at the University of Hong Kong, Professor Lam Ching-wan; and Li Ka Shing Professor of Medicine and Professor of Chemical Pathology at the Faculty of Medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Professor Dennis Lo, to share their research findings and knowledge with the public. Details are as follows:

Time: 2.30pm to 4.30pm
Venue: Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Science Museum
Language: Cantonese
Admission is free on a first-come, first-served basis.

     Diagnostic odyssey refers to the delay between a disease's onset and the time final diagnosis is established. Diagnostic odyssey is mostly due to challenges in diagnosing rare diseases. There are 7 000 rare diseases affecting 300 million people worldwide. It is estimated that about 10 million people in China have rare diseases. Professor Lam will give a lecture entitled "Rare Diseases and Undiagnosed Diseases Programme" to explain how genetic pathologists use clinical whole genome sequencing and whole exome sequencing approaches to expedite diagnosis through the identification of disease-causing genes in families with rare diseases.

     Prenatal testing is an essential part of modern healthcare. However, conventional methods for prenatal testing are invasive and may involve risks to the foetus. For many years, scientists around the world have been striving for non-invasive prenatal testing solutions. Professor Lo will deliver a talk on "Non-invasive Prenatal Testing: from Dream to Reality" to share his journey of over two decades from being a medical student to the discovery of non-invasive prenatal testing technology. He will also talk about ethical, social and legal issues associated with this revolutionary technology.

     Since 2009, the RGC has invited leading scholars to deliver public lectures. These lectures aim to arouse public interest in local research developments. For enquiries, please call 2524 3987 or visit the University Grants Committee webpage (www.ugc.edu.hk/eng/rgc/lectures/lectures.html).

Ends/Friday, July 21, 2017
Issued at HKT 15:00

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