News
Professor Jia Wei receives President's Award for Outstanding Performance in Scholarly Work
16 May 2023
Since joining the School of Chinese Medicine in 2019, Prof. Jia Wei has earned local and international acclaim as an accomplished scholar in the identification of biomarkers in various metabolic diseases, and the mechanistic studies of key metabolic pathways involved in disease pathogenesis. With a career spanning three decades, his contribution to science is witnessed by a tremendously respected profile in cutting-edge research, patent awards and managing translational research programmes.
As of October 2022, Prof. Jia has published 10 books, secured over 20 patents and produced more than 500 papers in high-impact academic journals, including Cell Metabolism (Impact Factor: 27.29) and Nature Communication (Impact Factor: 17.69). Among the 100 papers published during his tenure at the School of Chinese Medicine, many have been among the top 1% of most-cited journals in the field of biomedical sciences. The exceptional impact of his work is demonstrated by a Google Scholar citation count of over 34,000 and a Google H-Index of 86. He was selected as one of the Most Cited Chinese Researchers in 2020 and 2021 by ELSEVIER, the world-renowned academic publisher.
In a pioneering study of metabolomics, Prof. Jia discovered the role of hyocholic acid and its derivatives (HCAs) as a risk indicator of type 2 diabetes, as well as its strong efficacy in regulating blood glucose levels. This paves the way for the development of HCA-based predictive biomarkers and a new treatment strategy. The promising findings have been published in international scientific journals such as Cell Metabolism and Nature Communications.
Through the identification of biomarkers for diagnosing liver fibrosis, Prof. Jia has made an impact on the healthcare sector and the community at large. In a study of 5,000 samples, a panel of serum biomarkers has been identified to differentiate patients at different stages of liver fibrosis. This enables a novel and non-invasive method of testing without the risk of liver biopsy, which is the common standard operation. The discovery has been successfully translated to the development of a medical diagnostic kit.
As a reputed and resourceful academic, Prof. Jia has served as Director of the Hong Kong Traditional Chinese Medicine Phenome Research Centre which is the first phenome centre working on Chinese Medicine in the local and global context. Under his guidance, the Centre has developed unrivalled capabilities of attracting global talents in high-quality molecular and population-level translational research. He is currently leading the establishment of a research program for Scientific Evaluation of Chinese Tea to provide academic and research opportunities for students seeking postgraduate study in this field.
Following his award of the Cheung On Tak Endowed Professorship in Chinese Medicine in 2020, Prof. Jia has continued to promote the School’s standing as a world-leading institute for Chinese medicine research. He has led collaborative projects with renowned institutions and professional bodies in the Mainland China and overseas, has spoken at international conferences and symposia and has served on the editorial boards of prominent scientific journals.
The Selection Committee recognises Prof. Jia’s truly remarkable achievements in advancing the study of Chinese medicine, and duly recommends him for the President’s Award for Outstanding Performance in Scholarly Work.