Scientists in Hong Kong offer new hope into treatment of Huntington's Disease
A research team at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has discovered a new underlying mechanism and possible therapeutic target for Huntington's Disease, a rare, incurable disease that can cause twitching movements and cognitive decline.
Advertisement
The team of the School of Life Sciences at CUHK revealed on Monday that they had found a 4.5-fold increase in the level of a protein called PAPD5 in the brains of patients with Huntington's Disease compared to healthy individuals, which contributed to neuronal apoptosis, or nerve cell death.
Their research showed that blocking the activity of PAPD5 could reduce these harmful effects, opening up new possibilities for developing medication.
The research paper was published in the international journal Nature Communications on April 9.
'We provide a new angle to understand the underlying mechanism. This PAPD5-mediated pathway was first uncovered in our study. It has not been reported before,' said Stephen Chen Zhefan, the assistant professor at the School of Life Sciences at CUHK and the lead author of the paper.
Advertisement
'In addition to strengthening our understanding of the disease mechanisms, we also propose a new target for the future, a therapeutic development against Huntington's Disease.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Face Off: Should students have mandatory counselling sessions in school?
If you are interested in joining future Face Off debates, fill out this form to submit your application. For: Claudia Loh, 16, Po Leung Kuk Choi Kai Yau School Claudia Loh attends Po Leung Kuk Choi Kai Yau School. Photo: Handout Hong Kong students face an immense amount of pressure. One 2023 study by the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) found that 24.4 per cent of children and adolescents had experienced at least one mental health issue in the past year, and more than 8 per cent of secondary school students had thought about suicide. The demand for the Hospital Authority's psychiatric services has also been on the rise in recent years. It is clear there is a mental health crisis in Hong Kong, and we need to take urgent action. Most students need help. But the stigma surrounding mental health issues makes speaking up difficult. Students may feel reluctant to admit, even to themselves, that they need support. Therefore, mandatory counselling sessions would benefit students and society. Hong Kong Gen Z anxiety rates soar, study calls for emotional education First, for a student who struggles but does not reach out for help, required counselling would ensure they get the support needed. For society, this move would help destigmatise mental health issues and normalise seeking help. In the future, people will be less reluctant to admit they need help and seek it. Even for students who don't necessarily need mental health support, it can be beneficial to talk out any problems they might have. They can also build resilience and learn good coping mechanisms to lead healthier lives. While hiring counsellors may be expensive, I believe it is worth the cost. Mental health is just as important as physical health. Schools have nurses, so why not therapists? Mental well-being is integral to development and greatly affects our quality of life. Why are Hong Kong teens 'lying flat'? For some, it's 'not as stressful' Still, it is important to recognise that not every school can afford mandatory counselling sessions led by professionals. As an alternative, community members and older students should be trained by counsellors and armed with resources. Then, they can help counsel younger students and lead mental health support initiatives. As older students were once in the place of younger pupils, they can provide their perspectives and tailored solutions. While this may not be traditional counselling, it still provides structural support for students. This alternative would not replace professional help but supplement it. In conclusion, it is essential that students are taught effective coping mechanisms and have access to support in school. If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who is experiencing them, help is available. In Hong Kong, you can dial 18111 for the government-run Mental Health Support Hotline. You can also call +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call or text 988 or chat at for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For a list of other nations' helplines, see this page. Against: Cadence Kwok, 19, Marymount Secondary School Cadence Kwok attends Marymount Secondary School. Photo: Handout While counselling should be readily available to students, making it mandatory would have downsides. For students who find their stress levels manageable, this requirement puts unnecessary pressure on them. Moreover, these required sessions would eat away at the limited free time that students enjoy, which could have been used to explore their non-academic interests or simply get some well-deserved rest. With already hectic schedules, compulsory counselling would be more burdensome than beneficial. Some may argue that students are afraid to reach out for help, and school counselling would give them access to professional support. But if their participation is required rather than a decision they have made, would they truly open up about their emotions? Students would be reluctant to express themselves fully if they feel they are being 'forced' to attend. This makes sessions less effective, as counsellors will not get a thorough understanding of each student's emotional state. How practising gratitude can benefit your mental health and help during tough times For students in dire need of help, this initiative provides inadequate support. A much higher demand would drastically increase counsellors' workload. Previously, they may have worked with a few cases and easily stayed up to date with each person's circumstances. Now, they would have to provide counselling to every student in the school. Inevitably, students in need would not only receive less individual time with a counsellor, but the quality of counselling would drop as well. To conserve time, counsellors may organise group sessions to fulfil their duty in the most efficient manner, rather than one-on-one sessions. Then, each student would not get sufficient time to focus on their personal struggles, and attention would be diverted towards more talkative students. Advice given may not be as concrete and specific to each individual. Counselling then fails to achieve its intended purpose of offering practical suggestions to enhance mental health. Weez Walk raises money for youth mental health in Hong Kong while giving people a chance to 'walk and talk' It is undeniable that students must find ways to relieve their day-to-day stress and uplift their mood. School counselling provides a safe space to talk things out and gain a more mature, adult perspective on the obstacles they face. However, mandatory counselling sessions are not the solution. It is better to continue providing counselling for students who voluntarily sign up.
South China Morning Post
10-06-2025
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong must ‘seize opportunities' to attract talent amid US student visa woes
Hong Kong should capitalise on the opportunities arising from US-China tensions to attract more talent to its academic and tech sectors, heads of the city's top medical schools have said, ahead of a visit to the world's largest biotechnology event in Boston. Representatives from the medical faculties of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) will join the delegation of the government-funded Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) attending BIO 2025 between June 16 and 19. The event is reportedly the largest globally for the biotechnology industry. Responding to whether the worsening US-China rivalry had affected their work, Professor Wallace Lau Chak-sing, dean of medicine at HKU, said the tensions had instead provided incentives for talent to join Hong Kong's institutions. 'We continue to have many experts from the US supporting our work in our school of biomedical engineering. We also have an international advisory board in which many of the advisers are experienced professors from the US,' he said. 'We should not be too worried about the situation. We should take advantage of different circumstances to attract talent.'
South China Morning Post
30-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
For China to be an education power, Hong Kong universities must stay free
China has laid out its most ambitious education road map to date. The Education Power Construction Plan Outline aims to transform the country into a global education powerhouse by 2035. As the mainland's universities climb up global rankings and research output surges, Hong Kong's role in advancing this vision deserves greater attention. Advertisement Amid rising geopolitical tensions – exacerbated by moves such as US universities cutting ties with select Chinese institutions – Hong Kong's globally connected, academically credible universities stand out. They can serve as platforms for international cooperation that maintain legitimacy in both Chinese and Western contexts. The University of Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology feature among the world's top 100 . But what sets them apart is their ability to operate bilingually, attract global faculty and forge research partnerships across ideological and geopolitical divides. These capabilities have taken on new importance as governments elsewhere reassess academic collaboration with China. Unlike most mainland institutions, Hong Kong's universities offer familiar legal protections, relatively autonomous governance and robust international networks. This makes them uniquely positioned as credible mediators in scientific, technological and cultural exchanges. China's education strategy emphasises cultivating high-level talent and innovation capacity, especially in strategic sectors like artificial intelligence semiconductors and biotechnology. Hong Kong's institutions are already contributing. HKUST , for instance, plays a key role in robotics and digital technology while HKU advances biomedical research. Advertisement Their partnerships with Hong Kong Science Park and Cyberport create collaboration channels vital to the Greater Bay Area's ambition of becoming a global innovation hub.
