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Guests and Speakers at the Nobel Laureate Symposium Guests and Speakers at the Nobel Laureate Symposium

Nobel Laureate Sir Michael Houghton speaks at HKBU symposium on biomedical research and drug development

24 Feb, 2025

HKBU hosted the “Nobel Laureate Symposium – Hepatitis C Virus and Drug Development” on 24 February 2025 and was honoured to invite Nobel Laureate Sir Michael Houghton to deliver a captivating lecture.

Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2020 for his pioneering work in discovering the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), Sir Michael presented his lecture titled "Discovery of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV): The Nobel Prize in Medicine 2020," where he recounted the remarkable journey of his discovery. He also shared valuable insights on drug development and offered suggestions to young scientists based on his extensive experience. As a distinguished collaborator of Sir Michael, Professor Johnson Lau, Adjunct Senior Investigator at HKBU, also shared some stories in anti-HCV development.

In addition, Dr Robert Spiegel, former Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President at Schering-Plough Research Institute (now Merck & Co), contributed insights on the challenges and opportunities in drug development. Drawing from his profound experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr Spiegel emphasised how emerging technologies can address longstanding issues in drug development and highlighted the vital role of academic institutions in the research and discovery process.

The meaningful sharing set the stage for a dynamic panel discussion, moderated by Professor Manson Fok, Dean of Faculty of Medicine of Macau University of Science and Technology, and Professor Johnson Lau, which delved into the future of drug development and biomedical innovation. This sparked engaging conversations about potential pathways forward and encouraged warm exchanges with our participants.

Sharing the same commitment as the world-renowned speakers to promote the betterment of humanity, HKBU remains dedicated to trailblazing pharmaceutical solutions and fostering high-level research by bringing together global experts to collaborate and innovate.

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