Latest activities from Catherine H.H. Hor Research Group
21 June 2022
Absolutely honoured and excited to deliver a seminar for webinar courses on “Metals in Biology and Medicine” organised by the Croucher Advanced Study Institute (ASI) 2022.
16-17 June 2022
Catherine delivered a talk on the Research Day joint-symposium held at CUHK. Grateful to the organiser for the great invitation and opportunity to share our recent findings with the developmental and stem cell research community in Hong Kong.
Hor's research group was featured on local news covering topics on Women in Science
Interview and media coverage published by local media platforms.
28th Inter-university Symposium on Chemistry Postgraduate Research in Hong Kong
6 Nov 2021
Catherine hosted the 28th Symposium on Chemistry Postgraduate Research in Hong Kong, introduces the keynote speaker Professor Kai Johnson, who delivered the talk online.
20 October 2021
Catherine shares her experience on successful Collaborative Research Fund application.
Research Seminar for Knowledge Exchange
22 September 2021
Catherine delivers a talk for Taylor's University Biotechnology seminar series.
19 June 2021
The Department of Chemistry has collaborated with the Narcotics Bureau of Hong Kong Police Force to promote anti-drugs messages by simulating the scents of illegal drugs. The campaign aims to raise the public’s awareness of youngsters’ interactions with drugs, and it targets parents in particular.
A team from the Department of Chemistry simulated the scents of four illegal drugs, namely cocaine, methamphetamine (which is commonly known as crystal meth or ice), ketamine and cannabis. During the “Anti-Drugs Month” organised by the Narcotics Bureau of Hong Kong Police Force, an experiential device featuring the four scents was installed on an anti-drugs promotion truck, and stops by different locations around town from 13 to 26 June so that the general public can smell the scents for themselves.
Dr Catherine Hor, Research Assistant Professor of the Department of Chemistry, said that reference was made to the relevant literature when simulating the drugs’ scents. Non-addictive and harmless organic compounds that are commonly utilised in the perfume production process were used to make the scents.
Research has shown that the chemicals in illegal drugs can interfere with neurotransmission in the brain, and they can cause long-lasting damage. “The simulated scents can help parents recognise the unique smells of common illegal drugs, and allow them to stay vigilant and prevent the possession and use of illegal drugs by teenagers,” said Dr Hor.
Jan 13, 2021
An interdisciplinary research project led by Dr Catherine HOR Hong-Huan , Research Assistant Professor from the Department of Chemistry, has recently received a Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) by the Research Grant s Council . CRF is one of the most competitive research grants in Hong Kong that supports multi-investigator, multi-disciplinary projects in order to encourage more research groups to engage in creative and high quality cross-disciplinary projects. As the team leader, Dr Hor leads a team of international scientists with complementary expertise, including virologists, neuroscientists, and synthetic chemist s from HKBU ’s Department of Chemistry, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Duke-NUS Medical School, and National University of Singapore (NUS) to embark on a cross-disciplinary research project. The team is investigating the viral entry mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 in the neurons, and its long-term neuropathological consequences. Given that COVID-19 patients exhibit multiple neurological features, the project is of timely and significant scientific impact. The project shall uncover new insights on the SARS-CoV-2 entry mechanism into neurons, and will offer a better understanding of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis in the central nervous system. These findings shall lay the foundation for the development of novel therapeutics tackling SARS-CoV-2 induced neuropathology.
