Professor Christopher H.K. Cheng is a Research Professor at the School of Biomedical Sciences and the Director of the Shenzhen Research Institute of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Prof. Cheng received his Ph.D. degree from University College London, UK and pursed his postdoctoral training at the Hormone Research Laboratory, University of California, USA. Prof. Cheng established his own laboratory at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1996, serving as the founding Theme Chief of the Program in Reproduction, Development and Endocrinology (2010-2012) as well as the Associate Director of Undergraduate Education (2012-2017) in the School of Biomedical Sciences.
The main research area of Prof. Cheng is on molecular endocrinology and reproduction, focusing on the structure and biological actions of hormones and their receptors by applying an optimized, robust and convenient genome editing method in zebrafish developed in his own laboratory (US Patent# 9,181,535 B2). He is also engaged in the identification and development of candidate compounds from natural products as well as from synthetic molecules for biomedical applications. Prof. Cheng has published over 200 peer-reviewed research papers and review articles in various international journals throughout his academic career. Together with his collaborators on natural product research in Mainland China, Prof. Cheng was awarded a Second Class State Natural Science Award of China in the year 2009. He is engaged in the editorial activities of international journals. He has also served as grant reviewers in Hong Kong and overseas. Prof. Cheng’s commitment to research excellence is not only limited to his own laboratory. As the Managing Director of the Hong Kong Institute of Biotechnology, he is also committed to the development of biotechnology and the Chinese medicine industry in Hong Kong.
The main research area of Prof. Cheng is on molecular endocrinology and reproduction, focusing on the structure and biological actions of hormones and their receptors by applying an optimized, robust and convenient genome editing method in zebrafish developed in his own laboratory (US Patent# 9,181,535 B2). He is also engaged in the identification and development of candidate compounds from natural products as well as from synthetic molecules for biomedical applications. Prof. Cheng has published over 200 peer-reviewed research papers and review articles in various international journals throughout his academic career. Together with his collaborators on natural product research in Mainland China, Prof. Cheng was awarded a Second Class State Natural Science Award of China in the year 2009. He is engaged in the editorial activities of international journals. He has also served as grant reviewers in Hong Kong and overseas. Prof. Cheng’s commitment to research excellence is not only limited to his own laboratory. As the Managing Director of the Hong Kong Institute of Biotechnology, he is also committed to the development of biotechnology and the Chinese medicine industry in Hong Kong.