Humanized mice, mpox testing kits, and a way of finding out if you are going to have a heart attack 720 days in advance.
Those are just a few of the breakthroughs scientists showed off at BIOHK 2024, an international gathering of bio-tech experts in Hong Kong—and we'll discuss some of them shortly.
But first, the really big news came in the opening event, when speakers noted the sheer number of biotech companies in the Greater Bay Area.
China has 199 science parks, with 111 featuring biotechnology research and development. Of those, 93 are concentrated in Greater Bay Area. Thus it appears inevitable that this region will be a biotech center for the world.
"I believe that you are building here a unique confluence of biomed research and analytics that not just as the opportunity to serve China but it also has the opportunity to serve the rest of the world because these are unique components that so few parts of the world have," said Sir Jonathan Symonds, chairman of GSK, one of the world's biggest healthcare firms.
Businesses agree with him. More than 60 companies have already signed up to participate in the Hong Kong Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park.
And where will the money come from? Hong Kong is already one of the largest global biotech fundraising hubs in the world, so has plenty of skill in organizing investments.
There are large numbers of companies at this event, with a great many breakthroughs to show off, but let's look in more detail at a few.
HUMANIZED MICE
First, consider a problem. Before potentially dangerous medical products are used on you or your children, they are tested on mice. But there are a great many differences between rodents and humans.
So Chinese scientists are putting specific genes into mice to bridge that gap for specific experiments. These are known as humanized mice.
Mingceler, a firm based in Guangzhou, has developed what it calls Turbo Mice, accelerated rodents which provide genetic material for checking drugs are safe in half the normal development time.
PREDICTING YOUR FUTURE
Then there's this firm, BSP Medical, which has developed a test that can check if you are likely to have a heart attack, 720 days before it happens. Long enough, the theory goes, for you to develop healthy habits to change the future.
There were also food labels that change color when the food goes bad, artificial mussels that detect pollutants in the water, and a phone app that tells you how many calories in your lunch—and advises you on healthy restaurants near you.
These are all fun developments, but there's a serious message behind all this. The proportion of old people in the world is rising fast and there simply won't be enough money in the system to give people the care they need, unless things change rapidly.
Here's what Sir Jonathan Symonds said: "So I congratulate you, I commend you and I urge you to continue to move at pace because I think you have a significant contribution to make to the health of the world."
by Nury Vittachi
Lai See(利是)
** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **
Here's the opening act for 2026: Jimmy Lai faces sentencing, and right on cue, his daughter delivers a tearful BBC performance claiming her father is dying. She rattles off a dramatic list of supposedly terminal symptoms, blowing minor ailments wildly out of proportion. The most ridiculous fabrication to kick off the new year.
Throughout last year's trial, she and her brother Sebastien Lai fed the same tale to American and British outlets, banking on the old adage that repeat a lie enough times and it becomes truth. But their shabby playbook won't work this time. Authorities have rolled out hard evidence again and again, systematically demolishing their clumsy deception. Here's the irony: people who know Lai well say his health risks ran sky-high before prison—he could have collapsed any moment. Behind bars? Those risks plummeted.
Jimmy Lai's daughter claims to BBC he's "near death" with critical symptoms – all wildly exaggerated. This year's most ridiculous lie yet.
Jimmy Lai's conviction is final. Sentencing looms. The US and UK governments issue statements but take no action. His chances of walking free hover near zero. Yet his children refuse to quit. Their last card? Fabricate stories about their father's severe illness, hoping to manipulate foreign media into sympathy and manufacture public pressure. On New Year's Day, his daughter Claire Lai sat down with the BBC, tears flowing, painting a picture of extreme deterioration. Her "near-death" symptom checklist: grey-green fingernails falling off, rotting teeth, sudden heart problems he never had, weight loss, and lower back pain so severe he can barely stand. She catalogued every conceivable ailment to prove he's gravely ill and approaching the end.
They've recycled this performance repeatedly for foreign outlets—The Washington Post, Agence France-Presse, The Independent, and Nikkei Asian Review, etc. Jimmy Lai's international legal team amplifies the chorus, releasing a solemn "research report" on Lai's grave condition and going so far as to rush it to the United Nations. The theatrics are complete.
Evidence Crushes Fiction
The "health problems" Jimmy Lai's children trumpet are either grotesquely exaggerated or outright invented—utterly absurd. The Hong Kong government has systematically refuted each claim with concrete evidence. And Lai's recent court appearance to hear the verdict, where he displayed no abnormalities whatsoever, demolished their narrative all by itself.
Start with the grey-green, falling fingernails. Yesterday, while condemning the BBC report, the Hong Kong government revealed that Jimmy Lai had mentioned some nail issues to the Correctional Services Department last year. The institution's doctor prescribed ointment. He recovered. Since this minor problem got treated, his fingernails looked rosy and perfectly normal when he appeared in court recently.
I looked up what causes grey-green nails that fall off. Turns out it's just an infection from a type of bacillus. Some housewives and beauticians get this condition. You treat it with ointment and it clears up. Claire Lai presenting this as a symptom of grave illness? It terrifies people who don't know better and makes those who do burst out laughing.
Falling nails, rotted teeth? Just minor ailments already treated. Yet his children cry "near death" – laughably absurd.
As for rotting teeth, it's more surprising if someone doesn't have bad teeth at 78. The government stated that Jimmy Lai requested dental care in 2021 and 2022. The dentist treated him. No problems since. He hasn't raised any further requests. Claire Lai has inflated her father's dental issues by a factor of N, lying without batting an eye.
Medical Tests Expose the Truth
During the trial in August last year, Jimmy Lai told the Correctional Services Department he experienced rapid heartbeat and palpitations. These are normal reactions to anxiety and tension. But the department didn't take chances. The Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre medical team conducted blood tests and electrocardiograms. They found nothing wrong. As a precaution, the team recommended he wear a Holter monitor. He initially refused but later agreed. Since then? No abnormalities detected. His heart is healthy.
Regarding Claire Lai's claim that her father has "lower back pain, sometimes even when standing, with difficulty getting up and walking," authorities don't even need medical evidence to refute this. Simply watch him move normally in court—no cane, no assistance required. That proves Claire Lai's claims are false. Even if he does have some backache, it's utterly common at his age.
Now consider the weight loss. Jimmy Lai's nickname is "Fat Lai." He's been overweight for years. Losing weight after imprisonment isn't just normal—it's a sign of improvement. The Correctional Services Department takes his physical condition seriously, conducting regular examinations. They certainly wouldn't let him balloon up or waste away.
Prison Actually Saved His Health
A friend who knows Jimmy Lai well told me his lifestyle before imprisonment was extremely "indulgent." He chronically overate and drank, ignoring his diabetes and obesity, still gorging on braised pork belly. His health risks ran sky-high. If that continued, his body would certainly face serious problems. In contrast, after imprisonment, his risks have dropped dramatically thanks to normal diet and regular routine.
Claire Lai keeps "making empty boasts." Western media and politicians continue treating fiction as fact, even though they know she's deceiving them. But even so, this cannot change the final outcome fast approaching for Jimmy Lai.
Lai Ting-yiu
