Led by Prof. Jiandong Huang from the Department of Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine.

NOVOMI VAX is a Hong Kong-based biotech company, spin off from the University of Hong Kong, focused on developing two proprietary platforms: ANTCV, an AI-driven personalized neoantigen vaccine with a 51.85% ex-vivo validation rate and 99.91% PPV, and BSTCV, a first-in-class off-the-shelf broad-spectrum vaccine. Lead candidate NV-001 (peptide) has shown robust IIT results in newly diagnosed GBM, with all three patients achieving PFS of 20–38+ months—over 2.6× the median PFS of the Nature-published NeoVax trial. The pipeline includes NV-002 (mRNA) for post-surgical MRD and NV-003 (BSTCV) for neoadjuvant and IO-resistant tumors. Commercially, NV-001 and NV-003 pursue IND registration for long-term drug sales, while NV-002 leverages a hospital-based translational pathway (818 route) to generate early revenue through technical service fees and per-case sharing. The founding team, led by serial entrepreneurs Prof. Tian Xu and Prof. JD Huang, combines deep expertise in genetics, synthetic biology, and clinical translation, positioning the company to address large unmet needs in solid tumor immunotherapy.

Led by Prof. Michael Chan from the School of Public Health.

C2iTech is developing a scalable patient-derived organoid platform for precision medicine and human disease modelling. Built on our respiratory organoid expertise, the platform generates patient-specific airway, nasal, nasopharyngeal, and alveolar organoids from minimally invasive clinical samples, preserving key features of human tissue and disease biology. These models can support research in chronic respiratory disease, infectious disease, drug evaluation, and biobanking. In precision oncology, tumour samples can also be used to establish cancer organoids for functional drug sensitivity testing, complementing genomic information and supporting more personalised treatment decisions. By combining clinically relevant models, scalable production, and translational partnerships, C2iTech aims to provide more human-relevant tools for healthcare and biomedical innovation.

Led by Prof. Wenwei Tu from the Department of Paediatrics and Adolescents Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine.

NovaEx Bio is a pioneering biotech company spun off from the University of Hong Kong, dedicated to revolutionizing solid tumor treatment. To overcome the limitations of traditional cell therapies, often plagued by limited efficacy against solid tumors, high costs, and severe toxicity, we have developed a global first-in-class, "off-the-shelf" γδ-T cell exosome anti-tumor platform. Our nanoscale exosomes penetrate solid tumors and offer an exceptional safety profile, eliminating the risk of cytokine storms. Capable of massive ex vivo expansion, our technology transforms costly bespoke cell therapies into accessible, mass-producible solutions. Driven by a world-class team of scientists, clinical authorities, and industry veterans, our lead pipeline targets nasopharyngeal carcinoma. NovaEx Bio is committed to setting a new global standard for safe, effective, and affordable cancer immunotherapy.

Led by Prof. Stephanie Ma from the School of Biomedical Sciences.

Our project emerges from over 20 years of dedicated research into the critical hallmark of “stemness” in cancer cells, a feature well-known for its contribution to therapy resistance and tumor recurrence. Our focus is to kill cancer at its roots through First-in-Class cancer stem cell inhibition platform. Starting with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most challenging solid tumors to treat, our innovative portfolio features both a neutralizing antibody targeting ANXA3 and a small molecule covalent inhibitor targeting AGPAT4. Both ANXA3 and AGPAT4 are critical oncofetal proteins, playing significant roles in tumor initiation, progression, treatment resistance, and recurrence in HCC. Additionally, we have pioneered the use of secretory ANXA3 levels, either alone or in combination with AFP, as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for HCC. These groundbreaking technologies are patented by our founders, positioning us at the forefront of advancing novel therapies and offering renewed hope to patients.

Led by Prof. Zhiwei Chen from the Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine.

Orimmune’s flagship platform is an innovative anti-Δ42PD-1 antibody for cancer immunotherapy. With a focus on liver cancer, one of the most prevalent cancer types globally, and a market size of US$10.5 billion in 2021, there is a critical need for novel immunotherapeutic solutions. Orimmune has developed a novel immunotherapy targeting Δ42PD1, a PD-1 variant isoform first identified in 2013. Unlike classical PD-1, Δ42PD1 acts on TLR-4 signaling on cancer cells, triggering IL-6 release. This creates an inflammatory cascade that accelerates T-cell exhaustion, enabling immune evasion. This mechanism underpins the limited efficacy of existing immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), particularly in inflammation-driven cancers like hepatocellular carcinoma.

Orimmune’s anti-Δ42PD1 antibody platform specifically blocks this interaction and works in synergy with anti-PD-1 drugs, alleviating the inflammatory microenvironment and reversing T-cell exhaustion. This precision approach offers a potent next-generation therapy for tumours resistant to current immunotherapies, addressing high unmet needs in liver cancer.

Led by Prof. John Leung from the Department of Surgery, School of Clinical Medicine.

Modern surgery balances maximal removal of disease against preservation of healthy tissue – yet surgeons can only spare what they can see, so margins are drawn by eye alone. When microscopic confirmation is needed mid-operation, problematic frozen sections are the only option: over 30 minutes, distorted by artefacts, and destructive of the very tissue it samples.

We compress the histopathology laboratory into a cart that can be wheeled into the operating theatre. Instead of cutting tissue, our patent-pending supramolecular chemistry stains specimens whole and renders them transparent, while a portable line-scan confocal microscope allow 3D navigation at the microscopic level – a hundred-fold more high-resolution images than frozen section, all within 10 minutes. The process is fully reversible, DNA and molecular structures survive intact for analysis. Validated across 15 organs and >1200 specimens, we aim to place Hong Kong at the origin of point-of-care histological diagnosis and margin-guided surgery.

Led by Prof. Hung-Fat Tse from the Department of Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine.

OmisHeart Biotechnology is pioneering next-generation regenerative therapies to treat severe cardiovascular diseases. Our approach focuses on restoring cardiac function through proprietary LAMP2 modified RNA (modRNA) therapeutics and precision non-viral delivery platforms, including engineered exosomes, microbubbles, and MSC patches. Having recently filed our provisional patent for the LAMP2 platform and signed a commercialization term sheet with Versitech, OmisHeart is actively transitioning these breakthroughs from the laboratory into scalable clinical applications. Through the HKUMedXelerate program, we aim to rapidly accelerate our development timeline and bring transformative, bench-to-bedside treatments to heart failure patients globally.

Led by Dr Lanqi Gong from the Department of Clinical Oncology, School of Clinical Medicine.

Incremental optimization of immune checkpoint blockade cannot resensitize refractory tumors because they always hide behind multiple shields. To find new keys to the lock, we established a patented AI-driven target screening platform comprising >10,000 immunotherapy datasets and large language models, leading to the first identification and characterization of AOAH, an enzyme that clears a new kind of immunosuppressive lipid, as a pan-cancer target. AI-guided design co-optimized AOAH and fused it with anti-PD-L1, creating a single molecule that targets both tumors and lymph nodes, reinvigorating immunity at the immune launchpad, reservoir, and tumor battlefield. Across ten resistant mouse tumors and large-animal spontaneous tumors, it achieved a 100% response rate and >70% complete regression, with protection from long-term recurrence, outperforming PD-(L)1 therapies. Within 24 months, we will complete CDMO scale-up with Wuxi Biologics, IND applications, and initiate first-in-human trials, while generating additional first-in-class targets and pipelines in parallel, not just one.

Led by Prof. Leo Poon from the School of Public Health.

C2iVax Limited is dedicated to advancing global health through innovative, broadly protective vaccines against influenza and other respiratory diseases. We employ two award-winning technologies for developing a noval live-attenuated influenza vaccine that does not require annual updates. The first technology engineers the vaccine strain to present alpha-Gal on infected cell surface for easier recognition by immune cells, inducing more robust and broader vaccine-induced immune responses. The second technology introduces hundreds of silent mutations to weaken the virus in mammalian hosts, ensuring safety for human use, while allowing efficient replication in chicken eggs for efficient and low-cost production. This vaccine offers broad protection against seasonal and avian flu strains, including H5N1. Intranasal administration stimulates mucosal immunity along the respiratory tract and reduces needle anxiety. Our affordable, safe, and effective vaccine aims to increase vaccine coverage, improving global influenza control and pandemic preparedness.

Led by Prof. Yu Wang from the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy.

HKU spinoff OBPHARM is at the forefront of developing Hong Kong's first "magic pill" to fight obesity and associated diseases. Building on over 25 years of groundbreaking research, this breakthrough drug represents a significant leap forward for effective and sustainable treatment. With a rapidly expanding global market, OBPHARM is positioned to lead the next wave in innovative medicine and unlock new horizons for millions worldwide struggling with weight management and associated health conditions.