News

A research project titled “Dysregulated Host – Gut Microbiota Co-Metabolism in Metabolic Associated Fatty Liver Disease”, led by Professor Jia Wei, Associate Dean (International Collaboration) of Chinese Medicine and Cheung On Tak Endowed Professor in Chinese Medicine, and Dr. Kenneth Cheung Chat-pan, Research Assistant Professor of the Teaching and Research Division, has been awarded over HK$7.2 million in research funding from the Theme-based Research Scheme (13th round) under the Research Grants Council (RGC). This one-year exploratory funding will enable the research team to produce preliminary results which lay the foundation for the research of the gut microbiota metabolism, a far-reaching and promising research area, with huge potential benefits to human health.

Metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) coexists and acts synergistically with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) to increase the risk of adverse clinical outcomes, resulting in substantial public health burdens worldwide. While the interactions between the host and gut microbiota in terms of metabolism have in recent years gained significant attention as a cutting-edge research area, the objective of this study is to shed light on the molecular connections between MAFLD and T2DM, with a specific focus on host-gut microbiota interactions.

Professor Jia said: “The research will identify key microbial metabolites in the blood and gut microbiota signatures that are closely associated with the development of MAFLD in individuals, both with and without comorbid T2DM. The team will also create a database to identify microbial species and metabolites that can be used for early detection and risk assessment of MAFLD associated with T2DM. By exploring these interactions, this research aims to establish Hong Kong as a leader in translational research on MAFLD and T2DM.”

Members of the cross-institutional collaborative research team led by HKBU include researchers from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, The University of Hong Kong and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

The School is delighted to have secured funding from the RGC.  This is a significant achievement and a testament to the School's commitment to addressing major public health challenges. We look forward to yielding fruitful results from the project team, along with an expectation that outcomes of the research project to have substantial impact on other researches in the field, and create social and economic value through the enhancement to public health.

To learn more about the research funding, please click here for the full press release.