Professor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming from the Faculty of Medicine has been elected as a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in recognition of his success and contribution in life sciences and medical research. He is the only Hong Kong scientist among the newly elected 59 academy members this year.

 “I am deeply honoured to be elected as a CAS member. Doing scientific research is not just a job to me but a part of my life. With the enduring support of my team, I hope to continue translating research achievements and applying medical advancements to many. In the coming years, I will focus on cancer research, aiming to lower the mortality rate from cancer through early detection technologies.”

Known as the “father of non-invasive prenatal testing”, Professor Lo is Associate Dean (Research) of the Faculty of Medicine and Chairman of the Department of Chemical Pathology. He joined CUHK in 1997 and reported the presence of cell-free fetal DNA in maternal plasma in the same year. He and his colleagues were instrumental in making non-invasive DNA-based prenatal testing a clinical reality. The prenatal test they developed for Down syndrome, globally regarded as a significant breakthrough, has been adopted in dozens of countries.

In recent years, Professor Lo has developed genome-wide genetic and epigenetic approaches that lay the foundation for early detection of multiple types of cancer. He and his team have successfully developed technologies that allow for their detection and have been working with commercial partners on clinical applications.

New members to the CAS are elected by its current members every two years. Together with Professor Lo, there are a total of eight CAS members among CUHK faculty members , including Professor Xie Zuowei, Professor Henry Wong Nai-ching, Professor Wu Chi and Professor Thomas Mak Chung-wai.