Dr Rachel Ching earned her PhD from the Division of Food and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Hong Kong. She specialises in developing advanced experimental models of the human respiratory system, including innovative organoid technologies derived from minimally invasive sampling and tissue biopsies. Her research focuses on understanding the pathogenesis, tropism, and virus-host interactions of various viruses, such as influenza and coronaviruses (SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV).

As a leader in her field, Dr Ching provides expert support for multidisciplinary research projects on infectious diseases, ensuring high-quality outcomes. She has spearheaded the implementation of cutting-edge culture models and technologies, including immune-organoid co-culture platforms and microfluidic systems. Additionally, she has designed and established state-of-the-art laboratory setups for organoid culture and has maintained primary cell culture facilities.

Her expertise extends to optimising culture media for various organoid platforms to enhance experimental efficacy and operating automatic organoid culture machines for large-scale production. Dr Ching actively contributes to intellectual property development, having filed more than 14 patent applications across various countries, including Hong Kong, China, and the US, by 2025.

Dr Ching has been recognised with prestigious awards at the 49^th and 50^th International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva for her groundbreaking projects that revolutionise risk assessment for emerging viruses and inform public health policies regarding infectious and respiratory diseases. She received one Gold with Jury Congratulations, one Gold, and two Silver medals from the Jury for four novel experimental platforms she invented to improve the treatment of human acute lung injury. These innovative, physiologically relevant disease platforms assist in screening therapeutic candidates and developing molecules to treat the syndrome.

Since 2016, Dr Ching has served as a planner and ambassador for the “Little Dr Flu” and “Little Dr Flu Workshop” programmes. Through these initiatives, she designs and delivers engaging activities that communicate scientific knowledge about emerging infectious diseases to primary and secondary students. This knowledge exchange programme has successfully raised awareness of the microbial causes of respiratory diseases and highlighted HKU's scientific and medical research in infectious diseases, reaching over 2,500 students from more than 30 schools each year.

In addition to her academic endeavours, Dr Ching leads the commercialisation of translational research products and services, managing the spin-off company C2iTech Limited and successfully securing funding from initiatives such as HKSTP IDEATION, Technology Start-up Support Scheme for Universities (TSSSU) from the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC) of the Hong Kong SAR Government, and the HKSTP Incubio Programme.

1. Jenny CM Chan, Rachel HH Ching, Hermione HM Kock, Teng Long, John M Nicholls, JS Malik Peiris, Kenrie PY Hui, Michael CW Chan. (2025). Evaluation of Pandemic Potential of the Novel Genotype 4 (G4) Swine Influenza Virus Using Ex Vivo and In Vitro Cultures of the Human Respiratory Tract. Journal of General Virology. 106(7):002133. doi: 10.1099/jgv.0.002133 (Impact Factor: 4.3, ranked 8 out of 42 under the category of "Virology").
2. Ho, John C. W., Kachun Ng, Rachel H. H. Ching, Malik Peiris, John M. Nicholls, Michael C. W. Chan, and Kenrie P. Y. Hui. (2025). Dynamic Interaction Between SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza A Virus Infection in Human Respiratory Tissues and Cells. Microorganisms. 13(5): 988. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms13050988. (Impact Factor: 4.2, ranked 46 out of 163 under the category of "Microbiology").
3. Hui KPY, Ng KC, Ho JCW, Yeung HW, Ching RHH, Gu HG, Chung JCK, Chow VLY, Sit KY, Hsin MKY, Au TWK, Poon LLM, Peiris M, Nicholls JM, Chan CW. (2022). Replication of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 Variant in Ex Vivo Cultures of the Human Upper and Lower Respiratory Tract. EBioMedicine, 83:104232. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2022.104232. (Impact factor: 11.2, ranked 14 out of 139 under the category of "Medicine, Research and Experimental").
4. Hui KPY, Ho JCW, Cheung MC, Ng KC, Ching RHH, Lai KL, Kam TT, Gu H, Sit KY, Hsin MKY, Au TWK, Poon LLM, Peiris M, Nicholls JM, Chan MCW. (2022). SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Replication in Human Bronchus and Lung Ex Vivo. Nature. doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-04479-6. (Impact factor: 87.2, ranked 1 out of 296 under the category of "Biochemistry and Molecular Biology").
5. Hui KP, Ching RH, Chan SK, Nicholls JM, Sachs N, Clevers H, Peiris JS, Chan MC. (2018). Assessment of Influenza Virus Tropism, Replication Competence and Innate Immune Responses: A Prospective Comparative Study of Human Airway Organoids and Ex-Vivo Bronchus Cultures. Lancet Respiratory Medicine, S2213-2600(18)30236-4. (Impact factor: 102.6, ranked 1 out of 65 under the category of “Respiratory System”).
6. Ching RH, Sze MF, Lau EY, Chiu EY, Lee JM, Ng IO, Lee TK. (2017). C-Terminal Truncated Hepatitis B Virus X Protein Regulates Tumorigenicity, Self-Renewal and Drug Resistance via STAT3/Nanog Signaling Pathway. Oncotarget. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.15183. (Impact Factor: 2.1, ranked 44 out of 217 under the category of “Oncology”) (First author).
7. Lo J, Lau EY, So FT, Lu P, Chan VS, Cheung VC, Ching RH, Cheng BY, Ma MK, Ng IO, Lee TK. (2016). Anti-CD47 Antibody Suppresses Tumor Growth and Augments the Effect of Chemotherapy Treatment in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Liver International, 36(5):737-45. doi: 10.1111/liv.12963. (Impact Factor: 5.2, ranked 22 out of 147 under the category of “Gastroenterology & Hepatology”).
8. Ching RH, Lau EY, Ling PM, Ma JM, Ma MK, Cheng BY, Lo RC, Ng IO, Lee TK. (2015). Phosphorylation of Nucleophosmin at Threonine 234/237 is Associated with HCC Metastasis. Oncotarget, 6(41):43483-95. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.5820. (Impact Factor: 2.1, ranked 44 out of 217 under the category of “Oncology”) (First author).
9. Lo J, Lau EY, Ching RH, Cheng BY, Ma MK, Ng IO, Lee TK. (2015). NF-kB Mediated CD47 Upregulation Promotes Sorafenib Resistance and its Blockade Synergizes the Effect of Sorafenib in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Hepatology, 62(2):534-45. doi: 10.1002/hep.27859. (Impact Factor: 15.8, ranked 7 out of 147 under the category of “Gastroenterology & Hepatology”).
10. Ching RH, Yeung LO, Tse IM, Sit WH, Li ET. (2011). Supplementation of Bitter Melon to Rats Fed a High-Fructose Diet During Gestation and Lactation Ameliorates Fructose-Induced Dyslipidemia and Hepatic Oxidative Stress in Male Offspring. Journal of Nutrition, 141:1664-72. doi: 10.3945/jn.111.142299. (Impact Factor: 3.8, ranked 35 out of 112 under the category of “Nutrition & Dietetics”) (First author).