Press Release

HKBU clinches multiple awards in its debut at Silicon Valley International Invention Festival

Monday, 11 August 2025

 

Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) made an impressive debut at the Silicon Valley International Invention Festival held from 8 to 10 August in the United States. HKBU’s four start-ups and research projects collectively secured four awards, including two gold medals and two silver medals, highlighting HKBU’s achievements and contributions to innovation and translational research.

The award winning teams and projects include:

Gold Medal

Project: Aspire Motion® Wearable Digital Therapy

Researchers: Professor Jeffrey Cheung, Retired Professor of the Department of Physics at HKBU; Mr Gary Jin, Chief Executive Officer of Surge Motion Inc.; and Ms Vicky Cheung, Chief Data Scientist of Surge Motion Inc.

Company authorised by HKBU: Booguu Company Limited (a subsidiary of Surge Motion Inc.)

Booguu’s Aspire Motion® is an innovative healthcare platform designed to provide health management solutions for individuals with reduced mobility or at risk of falls. Leveraging artificial intelligence technology and operating through a wearable device and a mobile app, the platform quickly assesses users’ balance, mobility and muscle strength, then provides personalised exercises designed to help prevent falling. It has been widely adopted by a number of public hospitals, elderly centres and rehabilitation organisations in Hong Kong.

Gold Medal

Project: Metabolic modulation of intratumoral cholesterol with engineered bacteria for the treatment of colorectal cancer

Research: Professor Xavier Wong Hoi-leong, Professor of the Teaching and Research Division of the School of Chinese Medicine at HKBU

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide with few effective treatments, especially for drug-resistant cases. The team’s invention, CHOX, is an innovative microbial therapy that targets excess cholesterol which helps CRC grow. CHOX reduces this harmful cholesterol and turns it into 4-cholesten-3-one (4-C-3), a natural compound that fights cancer. Uniquely, 4-C-3 blocks two key pathways that drive CRC, overcoming resistance to current treatments. The laboratory models showed that CHOX has strong anti-cancer effects and excellent safety. This therapy offers a new option for patients when conventional treatments fail.

Silver Medal

Project: Development of Justicia Chinese Medicinal Plants as Antiviral Veterinary Products

Researcher: Professor Zhang Hongjie, Chair Professor of the Teaching and Research Division of the School of Chinese Medicine at HKBU

The team evaluated over 3,000 plant extracts from Lingnan region in the Mainland and first identified Justicia medicinal plants as strong antiviral candidates against influenza viruses. Extracts from Justicia species effectively inhibited H5N1 virus replication without harming host cells. The active compounds showed broad antiviral activity at low concentrations, targeting viruses such as H5N1, Japanese encephalitis, Zika, HIV, SARS-CoV-2, and Ebola. These compounds block a key step in viral infection, preventing viruses from entering cells. Botanical formulations containing these ingredients were demonstrated to be safe and highly effective, making them promising for animal feed additives and veterinary antiviral treatments.

Silver Medal

Project: Broad absorption spectrum for sunscreen compounds and its applications

Researchers: Professor Jill Chiu, Associate Professor of the Department of Biology at HKBU; and Dr Jenny Ng, Founder and CEO of Jelumiere Biotech Limited

Company authorised by HKBU: Jelumiere Biotech Limited

Unlike many chemical sunscreens, this sunscreen formula excludes harmful ingredients that can affect hormones. It also protects against a wide range of sunlight, including UVA, UVB, and visible light, while mostly remaining on the skin’s surface. Tested for sensitive skin, the formula is stable and gentle, making it ideal for skincare products. This technology helps create safe, high-SPF sunscreen products.

Organised by the International Federation of Inventors’ Associations, the 2025 Silicon Valley International Inventions Festival held at the Santa Clara Convention Centre showcased from over 30 countries and regions. The event served to publicise state-of-the-art inventions around the world and provided a unique opportunity for inventors to commercialise their inventions and open up the American market.


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HKBU demonstrates outstanding performance at the 2025 Silicon Valley International Invention Festival in the United States, winning a total of four awards, including two Gold Medals and two Silver Medals.
The research project, “Aspire Motion® Wearable Digital Therapy”, led by Professor Jeffery Cheung, Retired Professor of the Department of Physics; Mr Gary Jin, Chief Executive Officer of Surge Motion Inc.; and Ms Vicky Cheung, Chief Data Scientist of Surge Motion Inc., has been awarded the Gold Medal. The invention is presented by Mr Jin (pictured).
The research project, “Metabolic modulation of intratumoral cholesterol with engineered bacteria for the treatment of colorectal cancer”, led by Professor Xavier Wong Hoi-leong of the Teaching and Research Division of the School of Chinese Medicine, won the Gold Medal. The invention is presented by Professor Wong (left) and Mr Wu Jiayan, a PhD student at the School of Chinese Medicine (right).
The research project, “Development of Justicia Chinese Medicinal Plants as Antiviral Veterinary Products”, led by Professor Zhang Hongjie , Chair Professor in Chinese Medicine of the Teaching and Research Division of the School of Chinese Medicine, has received the Silver Medal.
The research titled, “Broad absorption spectrum for sunscreen compounds and its applications”, led by Professor Jill Chiu, Associate Professor of the Department of Biology; and Dr Jenny Ng, Founder and CEO of Jelumiere Biotech Limited, earned the Silver Medal. The invention is presented by Dr Ng (pictured).