 放大圖片
■科大早前成功從中草藥抽取物質，可令實驗老鼠增強記憶能力，預計最快5年製成藥物應市。資料圖片
香港科技大學首個國家級重點實驗室，早前正式宣布成立。該實驗室將與中國科學院神經科學研究所的神經科學國家重點實驗室建立夥伴關係，共同開發神經科學的前瞻性研究。研究團隊現已從中草藥提取出物質，可令實驗用老鼠增強記憶和學習能力，但要製成藥物上市仍需5至10年。
科大早於1999年便成立分子神經科學中心，並由來自科大的生物化學系、生物學系及化學系的22名教員組成跨學科科研團隊。該校於07年12月向創新科技署提交建設「分子神經科學國家重點實驗室」的申請，並於09年12月獲國家科技部批准。有關實驗室將致力探索大腦運作的機制，了解神經細胞的發展、功能及柔軟性，相信有助了解不同神經病學的因由及對開發有關藥物治療有積極作用。
科大希望透過建設國家重點實驗室，致力在分子神經科學研究方面發展成為國際級科研樞紐。研究團隊現已通過分子生物學技術在傳統中藥提取出單體，證明可保護神經細胞的存活。目前老鼠連續試食1個月都無出現副作用，證明藥能提高老鼠的學習和記憶能力。
HKUST Develops New Medicine to Improve Memory
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology(HKUST)has recently announced the establishment of her first state key laboratory. The laboratory will form a partnership with the state key neuroscience laboratory in the Institute of Neuroscience of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The two parties will work hand in hand in conducting proactive research on neuroscience. The research team has successfully extracted from Chinese herbs substances which can improve the memory and learning abilities of rats in experiments. However, it may still take 5 to 10 years for the medicine to be further developed, manufactured and made available in the market.
HKUST set up a molecular neuroscience centre back in 1999 and a multi-disciplinary scientific research team was formed then by 22 teaching staff from the University's Department of Biochemistry, Department of Biology and Department of Chemistry. In December 2007, the university filed an application to the Innovation and Technology Commission for establishing a state key laboratory of molecular neuroscience. The application was approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology in December 2009. This laboratory will focus on studying the mechanism of brain functioning, as well as on understanding the development, functions and flexibility of nerve cells. It is believed that such research will help find the causes of neurological diseases and will benefit the development of medication treatment.
With the establishment of the state key laboratory, HKUST hopes that she can become an international scientific research hub through her studies on molecular neurology. The research team has already been able to use molecular biological techniques to extract from traditional Chinese herbs monomers which were proven to be useful in safeguarding the vitality of nerve cells. So far, no side effects had been recorded on rats that had taken the treatment for one month without interruption. It has already been proven that the medicine can improve the learning and memorizing abilities of the rats.
■Translation by 開明
|
放大圖片
