Recognising the need for core support in biostatistics and clinical research methodology, in January 2015 the LKS Faculty of Medicine created the Biostatistics and Clinical Research Methodology Unit (BCRMU) to provide support on quantitative research methods.

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HKU and the Institut Pasteur have jointly supported a research unit in HKU since October 1999. In December 2013 the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Institut Pasteur renewed their partnership by establishing the Hong Kong University-Pasteur Research Pole (HKU-PRP) under the School of Public Health.

HKU-PRP aims to be a distinctive medical research laboratory with the goal to improve health by developing new ways to treat diseases.

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In 2014, the School was official designated as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Control. The designation of HKU School of Public Health as a WHO Collaborating Centre is the first of such kind at the University.

The WHO Collaborating Centre coordinates research on the control and prevention of infectious diseases, and providing local and regional education and training under the joint directorship of Professor Gabriel M Leung and Professor Wing-hong Seto.

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COVID-19

Related news & events

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the impact of animal coronaviruses on human health. The WHO Coronavirus Network (CoViNet) is designed to bolster the monitoring and laboratory assessment of SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV, and other animal coronaviruses that pose threats to human health. The central objectives of CoViNet encompass enabling early detection and monitoring of crucial coronaviruses, conducting timely risk assessments to guide WHO policies, and fostering capacity building in laboratories, particularly in lower-income countries. The data collected and synthesised by the network will inform WHO decision making and have wider implications.

The Centre of Influenza Research at HKU is one of 12 laboratories worldwide designated as a WHO H5 reference laboratory. Its mandate is to provide international reference laboratory services and training on H5 and other animal influenza viruses with zoonotic potential, to provide WHO with data and risk assessment relevant to such zoonotic threats and advice on selection of relevant viruses for pre-pandemic vaccine development. As part of these responsibilities the HKU laboratory takes part in the twice yearly WHO influenza vaccine strain selection meetings. Over the years the HKU laboratory was involved in providing assistance and training to countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, and Cambodia.

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