Outstanding Performance as Early Career Researcher
Dr. YU Yuanyuan
Assistant Professor
School of Chinese Medicine - Teaching and Research Division
Starting her professional trajectory at HKBU as a postdoctoral research fellow in 2015, Dr. Yu Yuanyuan progressed to Research Assistant Professor in 2019 and subsequently assumed the role of Assistant Professor in 2022. Specialising in therapeutic aptamers against various diseases, her research spans target elucidation, disease mechanism understanding and drug discovery.
As a young and enthusiastic scholar, Dr. Yu has made significant contribution to the discovery of Apc001 – an aptamer drug designed to treat osteoporosis and osteogenesis imperfecta without any cardiovascular risks. It has garnered the Rare Paediatric Disease Designation and Orphan Drug Designation from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), making it the first aptamer drug in China to achieve such recognition. Currently, Apc001 is preparing for an Investigational New Drug (IND) application before going to clinical trial.
This work has far-reaching potential even for the planned 2030 lunar exploration. It offers innovative strategies for preventing microgravity-induced bone loss for astronauts, overcoming the high cardiovascular risk associated with the conventional treatment with sclerostin antibody.
Furthermore, her ground-breaking research has shed light on a crucial molecular target that can aid in drug discovery, with an aim to address the clinical cardiovascular safety concerns associated with sclerostin inhibitors used in bone anabolic therapy. The findings have been published in Nature Communications, with an impact fact of 16.6, in 2022.
Dr. Yu has been successful in securing external funding for her endeavours. She completed a study with a National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) grant, and is currently overseeing two ongoing General Research Fund (GRF)/ Research Grant Council (RGC) grants as Principal Investigator (PI). As Co-PI of a Theme-based Research Scheme (TRS) project, she made substantial contributions in winning the substantial grant of HKD 50 million.
International Research Platform for Aptamer-based Translational Medicine and Drug Discovery (HKAP). This platform serves as a nexus for collaboration, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and propelling forward the translation of aptamer-based research into tangible clinical solutions.
As an active member of the academic community, Dr. Yu has been invited to share her expertise in aptamer-based translational medicine and drug discovery at the Innotech Expo 2002 and the Asia Summit on Global Health 2022. In addition, her work on Apc001 was chosen as one of the top 30 representative achievements in the field of medical and health, in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover.
She has served as a guest editor for Frontiers in Cell Developmental Biology. She has also lent her expertise as a reviewer for various peer-reviewed journals, including Molecular Therapy (Nucleic Acid), Computational Modelling and Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery.
Throughout her career at HKBU, Dr. Yu has showcased increasing maturity and produced scholarly work of exceptional quality. Her unwavering dedication to her field, innovative research endeavours, and outstanding leadership abilities firmly establish her as a prime candidate for the President's Award for Outstanding Performance as Early Career Researcher.