1st Frontiers in Orthopaedic Research and Translation Symposium (FORTS)
Innovations and Advancements in Orthopaedics – Integrating AI, Precision, Regeneration and Longevity

A 1 day international event titled “1st Frontiers in Orthopaedic Research and Translation Symposium (FORTS) Innovations and Advancements in Orthopaedics – Integrating AI, Precision, Regeneration and Longevity” was successfully organized on 20th Sept 2025.

More than 145 participants attended the international symposium. 4 international well-known speakers presented excellent talks with valuable feedback and questions from the audience so as to deliver innovative knowledge to healthcare professionals (including doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists) on orthopaedics facilitated by artificial intelligence, augmented reality and advanced computer application.

The event was sponsored by BoneIntel Co. Ltd, InnoHealth Solutions & Technology Ltd, Shenzhen Zhongke Jingcheng Medical Technology Co Ltd, Beijing Rossum Robot Technology Co Ltd, Ti-KOLN Technology (Medical) Ltd and Yuanhua Robotics, and Perception & AI Technologies (HK) Ltd.

The 8th Annual Meeting of CUHK-CAS Partnership Steering Committee was successfully held

The captioned meeting was held at Cho Yiu Hall of CUHK, on 26 September (Friday) 2025. This year, PVC Professor SHAM Mai Har of CUHK co-chaired the meeting with Professor HE Hongping (Vice President of CAS). On behalf of Prof. Ling Qin, Prof. Jerry Xu was invited to present the current progress and future development of the CUHK-HKU-SIAT Joint Biomaterials Laboratory, under our department. The committee appreciated the excellent performance of our joint laboratory very much, not only because we were ranked No. 1 among about thirty joint laboratories in the last round of assessment organized by RGC and CAS, but also for the scientific output, translational value, and the effort for providing professional training to cultivate talents. Nevertheless, we will further enhance the collaborations between young generations and joint grant applications.

Academic Exchange Visit to Xi’an Jiaotong University

On 10 September, our department, led by Professor Patrick Yung, Prof. Law SW, Prof. Ronald Wong, Prof. Michael Ong, Prof. Samuel Ling, and Prof. Adam Lau, visited Xi’an Jiaotong University (西安交通大学第二附属医院骨科中心) for a fruitful academic exchange. The day began with visit to the 中国西部创新港实验室, followed by a seminar at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University (西安交通大学第二附属医院).

During the seminar, Professor Yung and Professor Wang Kunzheng (西安交通大学医学部关节外科中心主任 and President of the Chinese Orthopaedic Association), discussed future collaborations to strengthen ties between Xi’an Jiaotong University, CUHK, the COA and Hong Kong. Our team also shared insights into clinical and translational research, basic science, and orthopaedic training development in Hong Kong.

The exchange fostered dynamic and productive discussions with Xi’an academics and surgeons. This collaborative spirit not only enhanced mutual understanding but also strengthened bonds within the orthopaedic research community.

Sport for All Day 2025

As co-organisers of Sport for All Day, the CUHK Sports Medicine team mobilised MSc in Sports Medicine and Health Science (SMHS) alumni and students to support activities across 18 designated sports centres. Volunteers delivered engaging health talks and conducted health assessments on 3 August, promoting health and wellness through sports in the community.

Sports Med Retreat Meeting

The Sports Medicine team held a productive retreat meeting at Kai Tak Sports Park on 5 July to reflect on past achievements, strategize for the future in various research fields and outlining project development goals.

MSc SMHS Annual Dinner

The MSc in Sports Medicine and Health Science programme held its annual dinner at Greyhound Café, Kai Tak, where students, graduates, and teaching staff gathered for an enjoyable evening of celebration and connection. The gathering celebrated the achievements of the programme and the lasting connections among its participants.

Novel findings of the functional and mechanistic roles of DNA G-quadruplexes in skeletal muscle stem cells

Prof. Huating Wang and Dr. Xiaona Chen’s team recently published exciting research in Genome Biology, exploring the functional and mechanistic roles of DNA G-quadruplexes (G4s) in adult skeletal muscle stem cells (MuSCs).

MuSCs are critical for muscle regeneration, with their functions tightly orchestrated by both intrinsic and extrinsic regulatory networks. G4 structures, which arise from guanine-rich sequences folding into non-canonical secondary motifs, are increasingly recognized as versatile regulators of gene expression. However, their roles in MuSC lineage progression remain underexplored.

Leveraging high throughput G4 CUT&RUN-seq, the authors generate genome-wide maps of G4 occupancy across different stages of MuSC lineage progression and reveal dynamic G4 formation, with a pronounced induction when MuSCs become activated and proliferating. Further analyses demonstrate that this G4 induction promotes MuSC activation thus the regeneration process. Mechanistically, promoter-associated G4s regulate gene transcription by facilitating chromatin looping. Furthermore, G4 sites are enriched for transcription factor (TF) binding events in activated MuSCs; MAX binds to G4 structures to synergistically facilitate chromatin looping and gene transcription, thereby promoting MuSC activation and regeneration. The uncovered global regulatory functions and mechanisms by G4s are further dissected using the Ccne1 promoter as a paradigm, demonstrating that Ccne1 is a bona fide G4/MAX regulatory target in activated MuSCs.

Dr. Xiaona Chen, Dr. Feng Yang, and Dr. Suyang Zhang are co-first authors of the paper. Dr. Xiaona Chen, Prof. Hao Sun and Prof. Huating Wang are co-corresponding authors of the paper. The link of this paper is as follows
https://genomebiology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13059-025-03753-w.