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Research
Since the introduction of its MPhil and PhD programmes in 1996 and 1998 respectively, the School of Pharmacy has successfully graduated more than 30 research postgraduate students.  Backed by a strong technical support team and a good number of dedicated research postgraduate students, the School has made significant contributions in its various applied research programmes, as reflected by the good quality research outputs generated over the years and the granting of five patents (I USA, 3PRC and 1 HKSAR) for a new chemical entity (NCE) and two patents (1 USA and 1GB) for a novel Coriolus versicolor preparation with potential immunotherapeutic values. In addition, the School has secured industrial grants amounting to HK$11m from the local government for establishing a certified Drug Evaluation Unit and a University-based Drug Development Centre.

 Current research at the School carries a central theme in drug discovery and development and broadly covers the following areas:

กด    Drug design and synthesis

กด    Quality of traditional Chinese medicine and its mechanism of action

กด    Formulation design and optimization

กด    Drug transport, delivery and targeting

กด    Drug disposition, metabolism and toxicity

กด    Particle engineering for drug targeting

กด    Genetic variability of drug metabolism and response

กด    Cost effective analysis of drug therapies

กด    Bioavailability and bioequivalence assessment

 To enhance the rigor and depth of research in each of these areas, the School has been actively seeking collaboration with other local tertiary institutions as well as universities in mainland China and overseas. Collaborating institutions include the Chemical Engineering Department of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Sydney; and Schools of Pharmacy of the University of Bradford, University of London, University of Southern California, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. As a new research initiative, the School has developed strategic plans for expanding into the relatively unexplored nanomedicine area.