HKUST Division of Life Science Biotechnology Research Institute

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Dissemination Activities

The MNC has been active in promoting molecular neuroscience by managing the international journal NeuroSignals and organizing the Molecular Neuroscience Seminar Series, Croucher Advanced Study Institute and Gordon Research Conference. All these activities have further enhanced the international standing of Hong Kong in the field of neuroscience.

NeuroSignals
The MNC members have used their collective experience to help disseminate advances and information in the field via NeuroSignals, an international journal specialized in neuronal communication. This is one of the first such ventures to be initiated in Hong Kong. Associated with the family of journals under the Karger AG, a reputable Swtizerland-based publishing house, NeuroSignals is dedicated to publishing original articles, reviews and short reports in the field of neuronal communication. The journal aims to accelerate interdisciplinary communication for the advancement of our understanding of neuronal signaling, and through this provide a source of inspiration for further studies. An editorial board consisting of 36 prominent scholars from renowned universities and institutes has been assembled to lend their support to the journal. In 2004, NeuroSignals achieved an impact factor of 3.585 and was ranked 49 out of 198 SCI-listed journals in the category of neurosciences.

Book on Cdk5
The MNC organized a two-day international Croucher Symposium on "The Roles of Cdk5 in Neuronal Development, Synaptic Plasticity and Neurodegenerative Diseases" from 9 to 10 January 2007 at HKUST. Twenty leading scientists from the US, Canada, UK, France, Italy, Germany, Sweden, South Korea and Japan delivered scientific presentations. They include Prof. Ashok Kulkarni (National Institute of Health, USA), Prof. Li-huei Tsai (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Prof. Laurent Meijer (CNRS, France), reflecting the excellence of this symposium. Abstracts presented at the symposium will be consolidated and published in a Special Issue in the NeuroSignals journal and speakers will contribute articles towards a book on Cdk5 (publisher: Springer, USA).

Molecular Neuroscience Seminar Series
The MNC has established the Molecular Neuroscience Seminar Series in order to promote the team members' research interests as well as to provide an environment to facilitate international collaborations. Distinguished international as well as local scientists have been invited to share their research findings and the latest developments in molecular neuroscience at HKUST.

Croucher Advanced Study Institutes (ASI)
The ASI served as a platform for research scientists to present the latest findings in the forefront of research in specific topic. The dynamic and extremely lively plenary lectures encompassed innovative scientific findings from the plenary speakers. The workshop was well received. Abstracts presented at the workshop were published in Special Issues in the NeuroSignals journal. Three Croucher ASI have been organized since the inception of MNC:

"Molecular Neuroscience" (6-11 January 2002, HKUST)
"Molecular Neuroscience: Technology Applications" (5 March 2003, HKUST)
"Signaling in Cell Growth and Differentiation" (16-20 January 2006, HKUST)

Gordon Research Conference on "Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology"
Furthermore, the MNC organized and hosted four Gordon Research Conferences on "Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology" at HKUST in 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006. The prestigious Gordon Conferences are known for providing an ideal setting in which scientists with common professional interests can come together for a full week of intense discussions on the most advanced aspects of their field. This particular conference provided a unique opportunity for molecular and cellular neurobiologists from the international scientific community to communicate recent scientific findings and to explore new areas of collaboration, thereby fostering the advancement of this field of research in the Asia Pacific region. HKUST has now been given the distinction as the permanent site for future GRC meetings on "Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology" in this region. Establishing a venue for a GRC in Hong Kong has been an important step in recognizing Asia's contribution to neuroscience. This has been evident by the number of participating overseas visitors and prominent researchers such as Nobel Laureates Prof. Bob Horvitz from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Prof. Linda Buck from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Prof. Paul Greengard from Rockefeller University. The conference has attracted a lot of publicity. Editors from prominent journals, including Science, Neurons, Nature, Nature Neuroscience, Public Library of Science Biology and Science, attended the Hong Kong meeting. Intensive scientific interactions will help to advance molecular neuroscience research as well as neuro-drug discovery in Hong Kong.

[Mission] [Background] [Team Members] [Research Focus] [Supporting Facilities/Centers] [Collaborations] [Dissemination Activities] [Publications] [Contact]

Last Updated in January 2007