In a new paper from the lab we show that engineered SOX17 and miniSOX not only replace but outperform SOX2 in driving derivation of induced expanded potential stem cells - a platform to model early development and discover new antiviral and anti‑ageing therapies.

🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s42...

We had the privilege to comment on a potentially transformative strategy from Steven Pollard and colleagues at @EdinUni_IRR that hijacks a SOX2/SOX9 gene control to switch to turn on a suicide gene and immunotherapy in brain tumour cells. Read more in @Nature: rdcu.be/fcnpk #braincancer #stemcells

We are delighted to commemorate 10 years of outstanding achievements in biomedical research at the 2-day #SBMS 10th Anniversary Research Symposium on 11 and 12 Dec 2025. Thank you all for contributing to this memorable occasion. Here’s to continued innovation and collaboration!

The Master of Biomedical Innovation at #SBMS is designed to transform scientific discovery into tangible healthcare solutions. Join our online session on 23 Mar to learn how this programme prepares you to lead the next wave of biomedical advancement:
hku.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

We had the pleasure of welcoming 49 eager secondary school students to our #HKU Biomedical Summer Academy 2025. Supported by Croucher Foundation, this engaging week-long programme allowed #SBMS researchers and experts to introduce them to the fascinating field of biomedical sciences.

HKU SBMS Newsletter Issue 21 This interactive flipbook is created with FlippingBook, a service for streaming PDFs online. No download, no waiting. Open and start reading right away!

Enjoy feature stories about the revamped BBiomedSc programme in the academic year 2025/26, as well as the Croucher Summer Course – Precision Genome Engineering; and check out the research highlight contributed by Dr. Yan Xue!

online.flippingbook.com/view/7447824...

#ISSCR2025 co-chaired by Prof Kathryn Cheah culminated in June with a panel session featuring members of the HK Spinal Muscular Atrophy community, highlighting the transformative power of patient advocacy, clinical expertise & gov't collaboration in improving treatment access.

We had an inspiring presentation when Ben Becker took us along to delve deep inside our brains and visualise how they process emotions, with implications for mental health. To all 50+ participants, thank you for coming!

Host: @ralfhku.bsky.social
#KEseminar #GermanConsulateGeneralHongKong

Less than a month left until our official QMUL Centre for Epigenetics Launch Conference! We will have an amazing list of guest speakers, including Ralf Jauch
@ralfhku.bsky.social from The University of Hong Kong. Book your free ticket now! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/qmul-centr...
#qmul #epigenetics

It's been great of have @alexdemendoza.bsky.social visit and inspire us at @hkusbms.bsky.social. It looks like DNA methylation has even deeper roots in our ancestry than Sox 🤔. But it's been the evolution of the latter connecting us scientifically and we could finally meet up in person.

Join us in-person on May 12 for a stimulating KE seminar by #HKU Prof Benjamin Becker on AI-inspired mind reading, brain scans and mental health, hosted by Prof Ralf Jauch @ralfhku.bsky.social. Do stay behind to network.

Register today: hku.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Scientists Claim to Have Brought Back the Dire Wolf Startup Colossal Biosciences has edited the DNA of a gray wolf to produce what it says is a de-extincted animal. Does that make it a true dire wolf?

Startup Colossal Biosciences has edited the DNA of a gray wolf to produce what it says is a de-extincted animal. Does that make it a true dire wolf?

It's been an honour to be invited by the Hong Kong Laureate Forum to reflect on our work on the origins of animals and stem cells:
hklaureateforum.org/en/what-tool...

HKU SBMS Newsletter Issue 19 This interactive flipbook is created with FlippingBook, a service for streaming PDFs online. No download, no waiting. Open and start reading right away!

#𝗦𝗕𝗠𝗦 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲 𝟭𝟵🔥
Enjoy feature stories about SBMS’ teaching excellence, as well as innovation and connection in the fields of rare diseases, neuroscience, and entrepreneurship.

online.flippingbook.com/view/9420848...

Thanks, Kathy, for bringing this key event to Hong Kong

Our PIs are active in start-ups, spin-offs, and InnoHK centres, advancing biomedicine and bioinformatics. We drive translational research and KE activities and interdisciplinary collaborations to enhance HK's digital-tech & innovation leadership. (2/2)

What is true for the mouse is true for the elephant

It's been an inspiring meeting at an emerging research focused University founded just 10 years ago with superb facilities I'm sure we will hear much more of in the future. @liang-lab.bsky.social joined me to represent @hkusbms.bsky.social.

Save the date for the GSCN #Conference on #stemcell #research and #translation in #Munich at @www.helmholtz-munich.de from 15 - 17 Oct 2025. Registration is open gscn-conferences.org/gscn-confere...

An acidic residue within the OCT4 dimerization interface of SOX17 is necessary and sufficient to overcome its pluripotency-inducing activity In this article, Jauch and colleagues show that glutamate 57 is essential to preserve the DNA binding mechanism of SOX17. Mutations at this site into diverse amino acids turn SOX17 into a powerful alt...

An acidic residue within the OCT4 dimerization interface of SOX17 is necessary and sufficient to overcome its pluripotency-inducing activity:
www.cell.com/stem-cell-re...

The 2nd Edinburgh-HK Joint Symposium in Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine by the IRR will take place on 3 June in Edinburgh with featured speakers from #HKU, #CUHK, and #UoE. 2 of our HKU RPG students will join @ralfhku.bsky.social and colleagues to present their work.

For more: bit.ly/4aEVNLf

Thanks, Bob, for bringing us to VISTEC, Thailand, for an exciting symposium.
vistec.ac.th/faculty-adju...

I had the opportunity to visit the beautifully preserved study at the 'Villa Medusa' in my hometown of Jena, where Ernst Haeckel, credited with coining the term stemcell once worked. www.wissenschaftsgeschichte.uni-jena.de/en

Scientists Can Now Recreate A Mouse Without Its DNA—Here’s How It Works In a groundbreaking experiment, researchers have brought a mouse to life with the help of a single-celled organism that existed long before any multicellular animals walked the earth.

Flatteringly, @forbes.com took an interest in our work on the evolution of the toolkits of stem cells. www.forbes.com/sites/scottt...
Quite frankly, there is a lot of mouse DNA in a mouse iPSC cell line. Wonder if we will show up on one of their lists one day.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Scientists just used genes from a microorganism and created a mouse The team used these newly generated stem cells to help form a living, breathing mouse from a developing embryo.

Really nice to see our latest work on Sox/POU origins covered in detail in the @washingtonpost.com by Kasha Patel, the 🦠choano-mouse🐁 is getting the love it deserves! www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

Thanks for appreciating