Professor Tak Mak awarded in Tumor Immunology Professor Kathryn Cheah, the first EMBO Associate Member from Hong Kong Professor Chak-sing Lau appointed as Member of the Academia Europaea HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach - 6 July 2023 - The LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) is pleased to announce three international accolades acquired by our Faculty members: Professor Tak Mak Tak-wah, Department of Pathology, School of Clinical Medicine, will be presented the 2023 William B. Coley Award from the Cancer Research Institute (CRI); Professor Kathryn Cheah Song-eng, School of Biomedical Sciences, was elected as Associate Member of European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO); and Professor Chak-sing Lau, Dean of Medicine, has recently been appointed a Member of the Academia Europaea. These accolades from various international institutions not only applaud the achievements of the three professors, they also demonstrate the recognition by global peers of the high research standards of HKUMed. Professor Tak Mak bestowed with 2023 William B. Coley Award Professor Tak Mak, Honorary Professor, Department of Pathology, School of Clinical Medicine, HKUMed, will be conferred the 2023 William B. Coley Award, the highest scientific honour by CRI in Basic and Tumor Immunology. The Award is in recognition of his profound discoveries throughout his career, most notably the revolutionised contribution in establishing the foundations of T-cell immunology. "The CRI has provided us with unwavering support for our research. I am deeply honoured and proud to share the prestige of the William B. Coley Award with all of my laboratory team members and use this distinction to further boost our efforts to improve cancer immunotherapy," said Professor Tak Mak. Dr O'Donnell-Tormey, CRI's Chief Executive Officer and Director of Scientific Affairs, praised the contribution of Professor Mak in CRI's announcement, "Our deep belief is that by deciphering the basic principles of the immune system, we can bring its great power to bear against cancer. Dr Mak's work is an example of this philosophy in action. By decoding basic T-cell biology, he opened up an entire new world of possibilities as far as treating cancer and numerous other diseases. We are now starting to see the fruits of those contributions in a big way." Announcement link: https://www.cancerresearch.org/media-room/2023/cancer-research-institute-to-honor-dr-tak-mak-with-2023-william-b-coley-award The William B. Coley Award was established in 1975 in honour of Dr William B. Coley, a pioneer of cancer immunotherapy. The award is given to the world's leading scientists for seminal discoveries in the field of basic immunology and cancer immunology, presented annually by the Cancer Research Institute. Professor Mak is ranked 9th internationally and 1st in Canada in Molecular Biology in the recently announced Research.com 2023 Top Scientists Rankings. He was conferred Honorary Degree by the Johns Hopkins University on 25 May this year. Professor Mak is currently Director of the Centre for Oncology and Immunology, Honorary Professor, Department of Pathology, School of Clinical Medicine, HKUMed, as well as a senior scientist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Professor in the Department of Medical Biophysics and Immunology at the University of Toronto. Prior to the Coley Award, Professor Mak, whose research has been cited more than 170,000 times, has received numerous awards and honours, and election into the Royal Society of London and the US National Academy of Sciences. His contributions have propelled the fields of genetic science and cancer treatment for humanity forward in tremendous fashion. Professor Kathryn Cheah elected as EMBO Associate Member Professor Kathryn Cheah Song-eng, Jimmy and Emily Tang Professor of Molecular Genetics and Chair Professor of Biochemistry, School of Biomedical Sciences, HKUMed, has been elected as Associate Member of EMBO, in recognition of her outstanding academic achievements in the field of biomedical sciences. The EMBO Membership consists of more than 2,000 leading researchers in Europe and around the world, including 91 Nobel laureates, and Professor Cheah is the first in Hong Kong to receive this merit. Professor Kathryn Cheah said, "It is a great honour to me being elected as an Associate Member of the EMBO. This is a recognition of our contribution to understanding the molecular genetics of skeletal development and hearing and their disorders. This honour also belongs to my team of research trainees and their dedicated work over many years." EMBO is an international institution comprised of top life scientists committed to advancing molecular biology research, promoting international exchange, and establishing a conducive research environment to continuously elevate scientific research standards. Candidates for EMBO Membership...