Professor CHU Wai Kit
Personal Information
Position and Department
ORCiD0000-0003-2903-3247
Research Interest
Ocular inflammation: Ocular inflammation is one of the leading causes of vision damage. Human uveitis is a group of conditions characterized by inflammatory lesions of intraocular structures. I am currently developing novel treatments for both infectious and autoimmune-related uveitis. In addition, ocular inflammation could also lead to other irreversibly blinding diseases including thyroid associated orbitopathy, age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.
Ocular cancer biology: Mutations in RB1 gene would lead to retinoblastoma, the most common paediatric intraocular cancer. Retinoblastoma cells have lower levels of apoptotic cell death. I am exploring alternative pathways that could induce apoptosis to restrict the uncontrolled cell growth in retinoblastoma. In addition, I also study the pathophysiology of pterygium, an abnormally growing tissue invading from the corneoscleral limbus onto the clear cornea. In this research area, I actively collaborate with Professor Andrew Schally (Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine 1977) to study the Growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor - Growth Hormone - Insulin Growth Factor 1 (GH-GHRHR-IGF1) axis in ocular tumorigenesis.
Ocular cancer biology: Mutations in RB1 gene would lead to retinoblastoma, the most common paediatric intraocular cancer. Retinoblastoma cells have lower levels of apoptotic cell death. I am exploring alternative pathways that could induce apoptosis to restrict the uncontrolled cell growth in retinoblastoma. In addition, I also study the pathophysiology of pterygium, an abnormally growing tissue invading from the corneoscleral limbus onto the clear cornea. In this research area, I actively collaborate with Professor Andrew Schally (Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine 1977) to study the Growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor - Growth Hormone - Insulin Growth Factor 1 (GH-GHRHR-IGF1) axis in ocular tumorigenesis.