The Summer Research Program is designed for outstanding end-of-year 3 undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing research postgraduate study in the School of Science. This program offers participants with the unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the research life at HKUST campus and work with faculty mentors from our School in conducting research projects in an interactive environment. Date: 2 July – 6 August, 2024     Eligibility: Undergraduate students majoring in science and related programs, who have completed 3 years of study (out of a 4-year bachelor program) and have attained a GPA of 3.2 out of 4.0 (or 80%) or higher. A subsidy of around HK$10,000 will be provided to cover the on-campus student hostel fee and other local expenses. To enroll in this Summer Research Program, participants are required to pay the summer internship application fee, insurance, visa fee and a 1-credit tuition fee in advance (approximately HK$3,300). Additionally, participants are responsible for applying for a visa (which may take 10-12 weeks) and covering their own transportation costs to and from Hong Kong. Application Procedures: Department of Ocean Science: Fill in the application form and send it together with your academic transcript and resume to the department (ocescamp@ust.hk) Division of Life Science: Submit online application to the division directly Department of Physics: Submit online application to the division directly Department of Chemistry: Submit online application to the department directly Department of Mathematics: Submit online application to the department directly   The review of applications will be conducted by the respective Division/Department. Successful applicants will be notified by the Division/Department as soon as the application is closed. After receiving the Division/Department’s confirmation: (For successful applicants only) Submit online Visiting Interns application to the Undergraduate Recruitment and Admissions Office (https://join.ust.hk/admissions/visiting/) Application deadline: 17 March, 2024

Abstract Functional lipidomics is a frontier in lipidomics research, which identifies changes of cellular lipidomes in disease by lipidomics, uncovers the molecular mechanism(s) leading to the changed lipidomes under the condition, and investigates the sequela of these changes in the context of the disease. Sulfatide, a class of sphingolipids, is a major lipid component in the nervous system, predominantly present in the extracellular leaflet of myelin sheath and specifically synthesized by cerebroside sulfotransferase (CST) in oligodendrocytes in the CNS. The speaker’s research team and many other laboratories have previously revealed that brain sulfatide content is specifically and dramatically reduced at the earliest clinically recognizable stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and in all AD mouse models examined (e.g., PMID: 12358786; PMID: 12501252; PMID: 18762354). Their recent studies using an adult-onset sulfatide-deficit mouse model have uncovered that CNS sulfatide reduction is sufficient to activate disease-associated microglia and astrocytes, leading to chronic AD-like neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment (PMID: 34526055). The speaker and his research team also demonstrated that adult-onset sulfatide deficiency led to many other AD-like pathologies, including brain ventricular enlargement, disrupted urinary bladder control, tau hyperphosphorylation and aggregation, Ab metabolism disruption, etc. (e.g., PMID: 36613677; PMID: 37445661; PMID: 37239102; PMID: 37478300; doi.org/10.1002/glia.24423). In the current presentation, the sulfatide deficiency-induced AD-like phenotypes will be outlined and, selectively, sulfatide deficiency-induced bladder enlargement will be discussed in some details. Finally, the causal factors leading to sulfatide reduction in AD pathogenesis will be summarized. They believe CNS sulfatide deficiency plays a crucial role in AD pathogenesis. Sponsored by: NIH (RF1 AG061872, RF1 AG061729, U54 NS110435, U19 AG069701, P30 AG066546, P30 AG013319, and P30 AG044271) and Cure Alz Fund. About the Speaker Prof. HAN Xianlin began his studies at Zhejiang University, where he earned his BS in Chemistry in 1982 and followed that with a MS in Chemical Thermodynamics in 1985. He then completed his MA in Physical Chemistry in 1987 and earned his PhD in Biophysical and Bioanalytical Chemistry in 1990 at Washington University. After receiving his PhD, Prof. Han joined the faculty of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. In 2014, he began serving in various academic roles at different institutions, including University of Central Florida, University of Florida, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, and Zhejiang Chinese Medical University. In 2018, he transitioned to the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, where he currently holds the position of Professor. Prof. Han is an internationally-renowned investigator in the fields of lipidomics, lipid metabolism, and lipid biochemistry. He has developed expertise in broad areas of research, such as neuroscience, diabetes, and metabolic biochemistry. The mass spectrometric techniques for lipidomics developed by his group, collectively termed “multi-dimensional mass spectrometry-based shotgun lipidomics” with unparalleled high sensitivity and comprehensive coverage, have been widely used to identify altered lipid metabolism, trafficking, and homeostasis, and biomarkers under patho(physio)logical conditions. The current interests of his laboratory research focus on Alzheimer’s disease, diabetic neuropathy, and mitochondrial dysfunction in diabetic hearts. Prof. Han also serves as the Associate Editor of Journal of Lipid Research. For Attendees' Attention Seating is on a first come, first served basis.

Abstract Nanopore electrochemistry refers to the promising measurement science based on elaborate pore structures, which offers a well-defined geometric confined space to adopt and characterize single entities by electrochemical technology.1-3 The electrochemical confined effect within the nanopore displays the incredible ability to achieve single entity discrimination by focusing energy (e.g. electrochemical, light energies and et al.) into small areas, converting the intrinsic properties of single entities into visible electrochemical read-outs with ultra-high temporal-spatial resolution.4 Furthermore, the excellent resolution of confined nanopore technology also permits the possibility to resolve the transient signals for further revealing the information of single biomolecules dynamics. The chemical controlled confinement inside nanopore provides the advanced electrochemically confined effects to convert the transient single molecule difference into the enhancing signal with high temporal-spatial resolution. In the speaker’s research group, the nanopore electrochemistry has been further applied into disease diagnostics by identifying rare sub-populations, DNA/protein sensing by reading the sequential differences and uncovering the fundamental chemical reactions pathways by revealing the hidden intermediates. References: 1. J. Jiang, M.-Y. Li, X.-Y. Wu, Y.-L. Ying, H.-X. Han, Y.-T. Long, Nat. Chem. 2023, 15, 578-586. 2. Y.-L. Ying, Z.-L. Hu, S. Zhang, Y. Qing, A. Fragasso, G. Maglia, A. Meller, H. Bayley, C. Dekker, Y.-T. Long, Nat. Nanotechnol. 2022, 17, 1136-1146. 3. H.-Y. Wang, Y.-L. Ying, Y. Li , Y.-T. Long, Chem.-Asian J., 2010, 5, 1952-1961. 4. Y.-L. Ying, Y.-T. Long, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 15720-15729. About the Speaker Prof. LONG Yi-Tao obtained his MS and PhD, both in Bioelectrochemistry, at Nanjing University in 1996 and 1998 respectively. He then pursued his postdoctoral studies at Heidelberg University in 1999-2001, the University of Saskatchewan in 2001-2005 and the University of California, Berkeley in 2006-2007. He joined the East China University of Science and Technology in 2007 as a Distinguished Professor at the Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials. In 2019, he returned to Nanjing University and is currently the Director of the Molecular Sensing and Imaging Center and the Professor of the State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science in the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. Prof. Long’s research interests include single molecule interface, electrochemically nanoconfined space, nanopore single molecule analysis, nanoelectrochemistry and in-situ spectroelectrochemistry. He serves as the Associate Editor of Chemical Science and the Editorial Board Member for Chemical Reviews. He is the recipient of the 2023 Electrochemistry Group Faraday Medal Award by the Royal Society of Chemistry. He is also the Fellow of the Chinese Society of Chemistry, the International Society of Electrochemistry, and the Royal Society of Chemistry. For Attendees' Attention Seating is on a first come, first served basis.