HKUST Annual Report 2022-2023

HKUST annual report 2022-2023 LAB to Market  RESEARCH Excellence Multiscale Modeling and Computation Paves Way for Advances in Space and Energy Explorations Prof. XU Kun (Mathematics), an expert in Computational Fluid Dynamics, has made significant strides in advancing the Unified Gas-Kinetic Scheme (UGKS) and the Unified Gas-Kinetic Wave-Particle (UGKWP) method. These advancements have notably improved the efficiency and accuracy of simulating multiscale transports in various systems, ranging from rarefied gases and gas-solid particle two-phase flow to radiative transfer, plasma, and other materials across various regimes. These methods are expected to benefit areas such as flight aerodynamics in near-space environments, fluidization processes in chemical engineering, and the potential achievement of inertia confinement fusion for clean energy generation. Blood Protein Discovery Unveils Promising Pathways to Combat Alzheimer’s Disease  A groundbreaking discovery by an international research team, led by HKUST President Prof. Nancy Y. IP (Life Science), has shed light on a blood protein called soluble ST2 (sST2) that plays a pivotal role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. With over 30 million people globally affected by this debilitating form of dementia and no effective treatment available, these findings have the potential to revolutionize our understanding of the disease. The research has unraveled the intricate mechanisms through which genetic factors regulate levels of the blood protein, offering new avenues for early diagnosis and treatment strategies. These breakthroughs pave the way for simpler and safer alternatives to current brain-targeting methods, bringing hope to millions of individuals impacted by Alzheimer's disease. Synthesis Method Helps Fight Against Superbugs To tackle the threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and superbugs, Prof. TONG Rongbiao (Chemistry) and his team developed the world's most efficient method for synthesizing anthracimycins, a promising antibiotic discovered in an ocean microbe a decade ago. Their 10-step method produces 63 times more anthracimycin than the previous method, reducing costs by using fewer reagents and solvents. Despite these changes, the synthesized antibiotic retains potency comparable to natural antibiotics. This breakthrough could help address the urgent need for new antibiotics amidst a global healthcare crisis caused by rapidly emerging resistant bacteria.