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Team:Hong Kong HKUST/hp/interview
From 2013.igem.org
Will It Work?
So, will our project be realistically applicable? With this in mind, we met with two well-known individuals in Hong Kong society. Professor Albert Yu and Professor Juliana Chan helped us to understand our project at a whole new level. As a scientist and an entrepreneur, Prof. Yu identified the issues that we need to consider if we want to see our project used as a biotechnology product. Prof. Chan, a medical doctor and an expert in diabetes, provided us with deeper insights on diabetes and the possible application of our project to fight diabetes and obesity.
Interview with Professor Albert Yu
Professor Albert Yu is the chairman of the Hong Kong Biotechnology Organization (HKBIO), and is also a professor of the Department of Neurobiology in Peking University, China. As an entrepreneur and a scientist, Prof. Yu gave us realistic insights to our project. Meeting Prof. Yu helped us to evaluate our project beyond the laboratory environment and to think about its application as a biotechnology product. Towards the end of the interview, we also talked about the bioethics and biosafety issues regarding synthetic biology.
Interview with Professor Juliana Chan
Professor Juliana Chan is a professor of medicine and therapeutics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). She is also director of the Hong Kong Institute of Diabetes and Obesity, CUHK, co-director of CUHK-Prince of Wales Hospital International Diabetes Federation Centre of Education (IDFCE), and chief executive officer of the Asia Diabetes Foundation. With extensive knowledge on diabetes, obesity and clinical practice, Prof. Chan brought to our attention practical aspects of developing treatments for medical purposes. Meeting Prof. Chan helped us to understand more about the biochemistry of diabetes. Also, by giving us information on current treatments for obesity and diabetes, she allowed us to consider our work in context. Towards the end of the interview, we also talked about the regulations for the development of new treatments in medical fields.
