Dr Hong Huiling, Post-doctoral Fellow at the School of Biomedical Sciences (SBS), The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has been awarded the 2025/26 Research Grants Council (RGC) Junior Research Fellow Scheme (JRFS). The JRFS supports exceptional early-career postdoctoral researchers, both local and international, to facilitate their transition into Assistant Professor or Research Assistant Professor roles, fostering research talent and advancing innovation in Hong Kong.

Dr. Hong’s research interest focuses on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating inflammatory responses, with the goal of developing effective therapeutics for treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Her doctoral research, under the supervision of Associate Professor Prof. Tian Xiaoyu, has revealed novel insights into how inflammation disrupt the delicate barrier of blood vessels, particularly in the life-threatening conditions like sepsis and acute lung injury. Her groundbreaking findings were recently published in the prestigious journal Circulation Research. The full article is accessible here:
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.124.325855

These findings have laid the groundwork for identifying therapeutic targets to restore vascular homeostasis during inflammation. With the support of the JRFS, Dr. Hong will expand this work to explore new therapeutic strategies targeting the vascular dysfunction in inflammatory diseases. By uncovering how the vascular cells respond to danger signals, she aims to develop innovative approaches that can stabilize blood vessel function, reduce tissue damage, and improve patient outcomes.

Congratulations to Dr. Hong on this remarkable achievement, and best wishes for continued success in her pioneering research.