News

Ir Prof. Ming Zhang Invited as Plenary Speaker at the 10th World Congress on Biomechanics (WCB 2026)

Ir Prof. Ming ZHANG, Head of Department of Biomedical Engineering, Director of Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology and Chair Professor of Biomechanics, was invited as a Plenary Speaker at the 10th World Congress on Biomechanics (WCB 2026), held on 11-15 July in Vancouver, Canada. Prof. ZHANG's presentation, titled "Foot and Ankle Biomechanics for Footwear Design," highlighted cutting-edge research in the field. Held only once every four years, the WCB is the premier international event in its field. It attracted more than 3,000 delegates from across the globe, providing an opportunity for the exchange of information about all aspects of modern biomechanics. This invitation reflects Prof. ZHANG’s outstanding contributions and international leadership in foot and footwear biomechanics research.

Hollow Silica Nanostructures with Ultrasound Technology Offer a Less Invasive and Precise Treatment Alternative for Parkinson's Disease Patients

Parkinson’s disease (PD) has long been regarded as an irreversible condition among older adults. Although existing treatments may manage symptoms, they are often invasive or limited in precision and effectiveness. In a recently published study on Nature Communications, Prof. Lei SUN, Professor of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at PolyU, and his research team addressed the need for neuromodulation approaches that are both precise and less invasive by combining low-intensity ultrasound with engineered hollow silica nanostructures (HSN) to achieve chronic, localised brain stimulation in mice, as well as therapeutic benefit in PD models. This study provides a compelling proof of concept for chronic, localised and minimally invasive neuromodulation using ultrasound and HSN. This research offers a more precise, safer and durable solution that brings new hope to patients with limited treatment options. Find more details in the full article on Innovation Digest: https://polyu.hk/aXfeL

2026 PolyU BME Alumni Connect: Happy Hour

🍷 What a night! Cheers to the PolyU BME family! 🥂 On June 26, our BME community gathered for the 2026 PolyU BME Alumni Connect: Happy Hour — an evening filled with inspiration and joy!   Here are the highlights of the night:   ✨ Department Updates: Prof. Ming ZHANG, Head of Department of Biomedical Engineering, shared our latest milestones and future vision.   🏆 Celebration of Excellence: We officially celebrated Prof. Weibao QIU, the recipient of the 2026 Outstanding Alumni Award of PolyU BME (the award announcement post is here).   💡 Industry Insights: A huge thank you to our guest speakers, Mr Benjamin CHAN, Founder and Managing Director, MediConcepts Limited, and our stellar alumna Ms Yung KWOK (Capital Listing Acceleration Manager, Medtronic; graduate of the Class of 2012), for sharing their invaluable industry wisdom.   🍇 Sip & Socialize: The night wrapped up with an exclusive wine-tasting workshop hosted by professional sommelier Mr Micky CHAN.   It was wonderful seeing our alumni reconnecting. Thank you to everyone who joined us!

Prof. Puxiang LAI’s research on “Physics-Guided Dataset Homogeneity Unlocks Universal Deep Learning Generalization in Scattering Media Imaging” published in Advanced Photonics

Research paper titled “Physics-Guided Dataset Homogeneity Unlocks Universal Deep Learning Generalization in Scattering Media Imaging”, with Professor Puxiang LAI as the co-correspondence author, was recently published in Advanced Photonics (IF=19.5; ranked 7th out of 129 journals in Optics). This work introduces a physics-guided dataset homogeneity strategy and demonstrates that enforcing spatial uniformity — ensuring all spatial modes in the region of interest are equally and sufficiently sampled — effectively aligns the learned weights with the physical transmission matrix. This approach ensures the network simulates the underlying physical laws rather than merely memorizing dataset-specific statistical biases.   Xuyu Zhang, Haofan Huang, Dawei Zhang, Songlin Zhuang, Shensheng Han, Puxiang Lai*, and Honglin Liu*, "Physics-Guided Dataset Homogeneity Unlocks Universal Deep Learning Generalization in Scattering Media Imaging", Advanced Photonics 8 (3): 036015 (2026). doi: 10.1117/1.AP.8.3.036015   Abstract Deep learning (DL) has revolutionized imaging through scattering media, yet its widespread adoption is hindered by limited generalization, where models trained on specific datasets fail to perform reliably in unseen scenarios. Conventional wisdom attributes this limitation to feature-prior mismatches, but we identify a more root cause: a fundamental mismatch between the learned neural mapping and the system’s true physical inverse operator (T -1), driven principally by inhomogeneous spatial-intensity distributions in conventional training data. To overcome this, we introduce a physics-guided dataset homogeneity strategy. We demonstrate that enforcing spatial uniformity — ensuring all spatial modes in the region of interest are equally and sufficiently sampled — effectively aligns the learned weights with the physical transmission matrix. This approach ensures the network simulates the underlying physical laws rather than merely memorizing dataset-specific statistical biases. Specifically, by optimizing training datasets, we achieve unprecedented cross-dataset generalization: networks trained on simple digits successfully reconstruct complex face images. This physics-guided framework not only overcomes generalization barriers in scattering imaging but also establishes a universal principle for designing robust DL architectures. The conceptual repositioning of DL, from pure data-fitting to physics-simulating, is a big step forward for its reliable deployments in real-world imaging applications.   About Advanced Photonics Advanced Photonics is a highly selective, open-access, international journal that publishes innovative research in all areas of optics and photonics, including fundamental and applied research. The journal publishes top-quality original papers, letters, and review articles, reflecting significant advances and breakthroughs in theoretical and experimental research and novel applications with considerable potential.

Prof. Puxiang LAI’s research on “From Disorder to Design: Physical Mechanisms Governing Generalization and Hallucination in Deep Learning for Imaging Through Scattering Media” published in Nature Communications

Research paper titled “From Disorder to Design: Physical Mechanisms Governing Generalization and Hallucination in Deep Learning for Imaging Through Scattering Media”, with Professor Puxiang LAI as the co-correspondence author, was recently published in Nature Communications (IF=18.1; ranked 8th out of 140 SCI journals in Multidisciplinary Sciences). This work leverages a physics-guided framework based on scattering media and developed a model system where controlled variations in light transmission matrices (T) isolates the long-standing challenges in the field, unravelling the mechanistic interplay between generalization limits and hallucination origins.   Xuyu Zhang, Tianting Zhong, Haofan Huang] Dawei Zhang, Songlin Zhuang, Shensheng Han, Puxiang Lai*, and Honglin Liu*, "From Disorder to Design: Physical Mechanisms Governing Generalization and Hallucination in Deep Learning for Imaging Through Scattering Media", Nature Communications 17: 5616 (2026). doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-72304-z   Abstract Deep learning has revolutionized computational imaging, yet its real-world deployment remains constrained by two critical challenges: poor generalization under dynamic conditions and the emergence of hallucinatory artifacts. By leveraging a physics-guided framework based on scattering media, a model system where controlled variations in light transmission matrices (T) isolates these challenges, we unravel the mechanistic interplay between generalization limits and hallucination origins. We demonstrate that a network’s generalization capacity is fundamentally bounded by its ability to accommodate distinct inverse mappings (T -1), while hallucinations arise when this capacity is exceeded, resulting in unconstrained, non-physical predictions. We also identify residual ballistic light, if not negligible, as a stabilizing anchor, enabling robust predictions under scattering variability. Integrating experimental validation with wave-optics simulations, we establish a universal framework that links these phenomena, showing that strategic training on diverse physical mappings enhances generalization while suppressing hallucinations. This work bridges physics-driven interpretability with AI design, offering actionable strategies to develop reliable models for applications ranging from medical imaging through biological tissues to autonomous navigation in scattering environments.   About Nature Communications Nature Communications is an open access, multidisciplinary journal dedicated to publishing high-quality research in all areas of the biological, health, physical, chemical, Earth, social, mathematical, applied, and engineering sciences.

Outstanding Alumni Award of PolyU Department of Biomedical Engineering 2026

We are pleased to present the 2026 Outstanding Alumni Award of PolyU Department of Biomedical Engineering to Prof. Weibao QIU, in recognition of his achievement in biomedical engineering, service to the profession, and contribution to the alma mater. Prof. Weibao QIU received his Ph.D. in 2012 from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, under the supervision of Prof. Lei SUN. His thesis was titled "Development of Novel Imaging Systems and Techniques for Micro-ultrasound". He joined the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in the same year and was promoted to Full Professor in early 2018. His research focuses on novel ultrasound transducers and systems for biomedical imaging and therapy. He has established an integrated R&D framework — "Transducers—Imaging Methods—Systems" — for high-resolution ultrasound. Prof. QIU has published 93 SCI papers (including one in Nature Communications and 36 in IEEE Transactions) and holds 35 granted invention patents. Several of his high-resolution imaging technologies have been translated into innovative products, with four medical device registration certificates obtained. He is the founder of Shenzhen Hyus Meditec Co., Ltd., a company specializing in advanced ultrasound solutions, including novel ultrasound transducers and imaging systems. Prof. QIU serves on the Technical Program Committee (Group 5) of the IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium (IUS) and was an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control. He is the Lead Guest Editor of the TUFFC Special Issue on "Recent Advances in Ultrasound Technology for Brain Imaging and Therapy". In 2020, he received the Outstanding Youth Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China for his work on high-resolution ultrasound imaging. He is also recognized as an Outstanding Member of the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Prof. QIU established the Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Ultrasound Imaging and Therapy, which is now part of the State Key Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging Science and System. He serves as Vice Chair of the Medical Ultrasound Engineering Division at the Chinese Society of Biomedical Engineering. Congratulations to Prof. QIU!

Prof. Sharon Y. C. RUAN’s research on “CFTR mediates Cl- transport in osteocytes to sustain cell viability and skeletal homeostasis” published in Nature Communications

Research paper titled “CFTR mediates Cl- transport in osteocytes to sustain cell viability and skeletal homeostasis”, with Professor Sharon Y. C. RUAN as the corresponding author, was recently published in Nature Communications. Prof. RUAN’s work has demonstrated for the first time that chloride channel CFTR keeps osteocytes alive and limits bone loss, revealing a new mechanism for maintaining long lived bone cells and suggesting a potential strategy to protect bone health.     “CFTR mediates Cl- transport in osteocytes to sustain cell viability and skeletal homeostasis“ Peijie Hu, Wanting Du, Muyan Chu, Junjiang Chen, Xiaotian Zhang, Ziyi Chen, Jun Hu, Lei Qin, Wayne Yuk-Wai Lee, Jinghui Guo, Hui Chen, Ruiyao Xu, Xiaojun Cai, Xiaohua Jiang, Hsiao Chang Chan, Ling Qin*, Jiankun Xu* & Ye Chun Ruan* Nature Communications (2026). doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-72349-0   Abstract Osteocytes are long-lived with underlying mechanisms largely unknown. Here, we report that osteocyte-specific knockout of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) results in excessive osteocyte death, proinflammatory cytokine surge, osteoclast overactivation and bone formation impairment leading to bone loss in adult mice. Consistently in MLO‑Y4 osteocyte‑line, CFTR-knockout causes progressive cell death, which is reversed by CFTR overexpression or medium replenishment. A massive proinflammatory osteocyte secretome is evoked by CFTR-knockout, which deteriorates wild-type osteocytes, inhibits osteogenic differentiation, while robustly stimulates osteoclastogenic differentiation in vitro. Patch-clamp/Cl--imaging verifies CFTR to mediate Cl- transport in osteocytes, while Cl--deprivation mimics CFTR-knockout to trigger transcriptomic/proteomic changes, cell stress and death. Additionally, osteocyte CFTR is downregulated in aged human bones; local delivery of CFTR via adenovirus or a CFTR modulator increases viable osteocytes and bone mass in aged mice. Together, the present study reveals a direct role of CFTR-mediated Cl- transport in sustaining osteocyte viability and skeletal homeostasis.   About Nature Communications Nature Communications is an open access, multidisciplinary journal dedicated to publishing high-quality research in all areas of the biological, health, physical, chemical, Earth, social, mathematical, applied, and engineering sciences.

PolyU collaborates with the National University of Singapore (NUS) to accelerate the adoption of AI-enabled healthcare innovations

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and The National University of Singapore (NUS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to accelerate the adoption of healthcare innovations. Witnessed by Prof. Cheng DONG, Associate Vice President (Knowledge Transfer) of PolyU, and Prof. Roger FOO, Vice-Dean (Research), Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine of NUS, the MoU was signed by Prof. Chunyi WEN, Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering of PolyU, and Prof. Wei Seong TOH, Research Director and Associate Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine of NUS on 5 June 2026. Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a chronic degenerative disease which can hamper the functioning and the quality of life of older adults. To address KOA, Prof. Chunyi WEN leads a research team that has developed an innovative AI-empowered biomechanical assessment tool, KneeVidScan, to enable early identification and intervention of knee osteoarthritis. This technology has been recognised with TechConnect Global Innovation Award 2021 and Hong Kong ICT Award 2022. By leveraging PolyU’s innovation, Prof. WEN and his team launched the first community screening programme for knee osteoarthritis in Hong Kong in 2023 and have since served more than 1,800 older adults under the auspices of HKSAR Government’s Innovation and Technology Fund for Better Living. The related results were recently published in a prestigious scholarly journal from Nature Portfolio.  This MoU strengthens a shared commitment to the implementation of KneeVidScan in real-world clinical practice, and to the establishment of a strategic academic-clinical partnership that focuses on healthy ageing, functional mobility, and community-based musculoskeletal research. It is the first time the NUS Department of Orthopaedic Surgery has introduced Hong Kong’s AI technology and expertise in knee osteoarthritis to Singapore, helping to advance precision orthopaedics in the primary healthcare setting and also enhancing the academic collaboration between Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Through this collaboration, the identification and management of knee osteoarthritis in community settings can be improved by enabling earlier intervention, improving care navigation and right-siting, and reducing downstream burden on hospital services.

PolyU BME PhD student Hejin CAI awarded First Runner-up at Faculty of Engineering 3MT® Competition

PolyU BME PhD student Hejin CAI won the First Runner-up at the PolyU Faculty of Engineering Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT®), which was held on 4 June 2026, by presenting the topic “The Hidden Story Behind Standing Up”. 3MT® celebrates the exciting research conducted by Doctor of Philosophy students. Developed by the University of Queensland, Australia, the competition cultivates the academic, presentation, and research communication skills of research postgraduate students and supports their capacity to effectively explain their research in three minutes in a language appropriate to non-specialist audience. 3MT® is a globally recognized competition which are now held in over 900 universities across more than 85 countries worldwide. Congratulations to Hejin CAI!

Congratulations to Ir Prof. Ming ZHANG on being elected as Chinese Society of Biomedical Engineering (CSBME) Fellow

Congratulations to Ir Prof. Ming ZHANG on being elected as Chinese Society of Biomedical Engineering (CSBME) Fellow (中國生物醫學工程學會會士). Founded in 1980, the Chinese Society of Biomedical Engineering (CSBME) is a national first-class society, which is rated 4A by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. It is the only professional society in China that integrates scientific research, teaching, clinical practice and research and development. At present, CSBME has more than 42,000 members comprised of professionals in the field of biomedical engineering. There are 45 distinguished scholars elected as CSBME Fellows since 2024, and Ir Prof. Ming ZHANG is one of the seven newly-appointed CSBME Fellows in 2026. Prof. ZHANG was the founding Chair of the first CSBME Rehabilitation Engineering Technical Committee. Today, the Rehabilitation Engineering branch has become the Society's largest and most exemplary division by membership, maintaining a long-standing, deep involvement in the society’s various academic endeavors. Congratulations once again to Prof. ZHANG!