The University of Macau (UM) held recently two talks on biomedical sciences to encourage local high school students to become interested in science in general, the public tertiary education institution said in a statement yesterday.
The statement noted that the talks were delivered by professors from the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS), speaking to more than 370 students about cell motility and transgenic technology. It did not say when the talks were held.
Cell motility is the movement of the cell from one place to another, while transgenic technology allows the introduction of new and functional genetic material into the germ line.
Motility denotes the state of being motile, i.e., moving.
The statement pointed out that Associate Professor Leo Lee Tsz On gave a talk entitled “Transgenic Animals for Research: What Do They Teach Us?’ to Keang Peng School’s Form 5 students. The statement underlined that Lee explained to the students that “transgenic technology” is a development in molecular biology as transgenic animals are regularly used in laboratories as biomedical research models. The statement added that the animals contribute notably to scientific research, particularly in cancer research and drug development.
The statement also pointed out that Lee answered the student’s questions, saying that researchers must follow ethical norms during research and innovations, and the rule that humans should not be genetically modified.
Meanwhile, Assistant Professor Chang Wakam (aka Wakam Chang) delivered a talk about cell motility to Choi Nong Chi Tai School’s Form 4 & 5 students, discussing the importance of cell motility with examples such as “embryo development and tumour metastasis”. The statement also said that Chang talked about “the mechanisms of cell movement with fluorescent images and live-cell movies”, guiding students to understand how cell motility is regulated and “how it defects in Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, a premature ageing disease”.
Progeria is an extremely rare genetic condition wherein symptoms resembling aspects of ageing are manifested at an early age.
The statement pointed out that the two professors shared knowledge about biomedical sciences with real-life examples, encouraging students to keep their enthusiasm for science due to various “scientific mysteries waiting to be solved”.
This undated handout photo provided by the University of Macau (UM) shows Assistant Professor Chang Wakam (centre, front) posing for a group photo with students of Escola Choi Nong Chi Tai.
This undated handout photo provided by the University of Macau (UM) yesterday shows Associate Professor Leo Lee Tsz On (front standing) discussing transgenic technology with students from Keang Peng School.
