HKBU Students' Design of Innovative Biomedical Technology at BIOMOD 2013 Wins Silver Project Award

13 Nov 2013


Six HKBU students from four specialties formed a team called The Rising Power which recently delivered their project presentation at Harvard University in the US and won the Silver Project Award at the 2013 International Bio-molecular Design Competition (BIOMOD 2013). Sun Xizhen (Computer Science, Year 3 - 1st photo, 2nd from the left) was one of the team members and the team was the only winning team from Hong Kong among 26 competing teams from nine countries.

Sun Xizhen said: "I was glad to contribute what I learnt from my specialty in Information Systems to biological engineering in this project. I believe that this cross-disciplinary experience would benefit my future career."

The team designed a self-assembled DNA origami biological marker which was conjugated with quantum dots. The whole complex was successfully aligned to self-assembled fibrils of beta-amyloid (one of the key proteins in the development of Alzheimer’s disease). The fibril pattern could then be clearly monitored under a fluorescent microscope and atomic force microscope. The design successfully applied self-assembled DNA origami in biomedical detection, showing results in a stable, fast, and accurate manner, which could assist in clinical diagnosis and contains significant research value in drug delivery and inhibiting the fibrillization of beta-amyloid.

Details on the HKBU team’s project can be found at: http://openwetware.org/wiki/Biomod/2013/HKBU