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Telephone (PWH office): (852) 3505-2858

                  (HKCH office): (852) 3513-3175 

E-mail:    reneewy@cuhk.edu.hk

Publons: AAA-6598-2020


Administrative support: Ms Jianl Wong 

Telephone (office): (852) 3505-2839

Professor CHAN Wan Yi, Renee
陳韻怡教授

  • Associate Professor, Department of Paediatrics 

  • Deputy Director, Hong Kong Hub of Paediatric Excellence 

  • Co-Director, CUHK-UMCU Joint Research Laboratory of Respiratory Virus & Immunobiology 

  • Investigator, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences

BSc (Hons), MPhil, PhD, Diploma (Epidemiology)

Research Team: Respiratory Viruses

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Biography

Renee Chan is an internationally recognised researcher in paediatric respiratory research, with over 20 years of experience spanning clinical paediatrics, respiratory virology, mucosal immunology, and extracellular vesicle (EV) biology. She is currently Associate Professor in the Department of Paediatrics at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Associate Member of the School of Biomedical Sciences, CUHK, Investigator at the Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences and the SH Ho Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, and Administrative Director of the CUHK–Hong Kong Hub of Obstetric and Paediatric Excellence. She is also an Associate Researcher (by courtesy) at the CUHK Shenzhen Research Institute (SZRI), and an active member of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology and the Hong Kong Institute of Allergy.


Her early research established internationally recognised expertise in respiratory viral infections, including influenza, coronaviruses (SARS‑CoV, MERS‑CoV, and SARS‑CoV‑2), rhinovirus, and respiratory syncytial virus. This work elucidated viral tropism, host immune responses, and their impact on paediatric respiratory health. Building on this foundation, Renee has strategically evolved her research programme to pioneer mucosal-based diagnostics and EV-enabled regenerative approaches for obstructive airway diseases, with a strong emphasis on clinical applicability and early-life intervention.


She leads a multi-centre, prospective longitudinal research programme focusing on respiratory health from early life through preschool and school-age childhood, integrating carefully phenotyped clinical cohorts with advanced EV profiling. This programme brings together paediatric clinicians, basic scientists, and translational partners across private and public clinics and hospitals in Hong Kong, tertiary referral hospitals in Mainland China (including Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Shanghai), and Australia, with the aim of generating high-quality longitudinal evidence to support the development of clinically relevant diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for childhood airway diseases. Her works have led to multiple US provisional patents on non-invasive EV-based diagnostics and regenerative EV cargo for respiratory diseases.


Renee’s laboratory has established dedicated paediatric respiratory research facilities at Prince of Wales Hospital and Hong Kong Children’s Hospital, enabling the systematic, collection and processing of respiratory mucosal samples using standardised, child-friendly protocols. Complementing the clinical cohorts, her team employs patient-derived respiratory epithelial models, including air-liquid interface cultures and airway organoids, to investigate disease mechanisms at the cellular and tissue levels. These models enable mechanistic studies and provide a functional bridge from biomarker discovery to drug screening and therapeutic evaluation, supporting the translation of molecular findings into clinically actionable strategies.


As Principal Investigator, Renee provides overarching scientific and strategic leadership, overseeing study design, clinical cohort development, laboratory quality control, data integration, and translational pathways. She has a proven track record of successful academic–industry collaboration, including co-development of diagnostic tests with commercial partners. Deeply motivated by the clinical challenge of preventing irreversible lung disease from early life, her work is driven by the goal of delivering timely, child-friendly diagnostics and interventions that can alter lifelong respiratory trajectories. She is committed to mentoring PhD students and early-career scientists within a highly collaborative, international research environment.

Research Interests

  • Respiratory diseases, including paediatric asthma, early-life wheezing disorders, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), and chronic obstructive airway diseases (COPD)

  • Extracellular vesicle (EV) biology in paediatric and early-life lung health and disease

  • Patient-derived airway models for the studies of

1. Airway remodelling and regenerative mechanisms in chronic respiratory diseases

2. Host–pathogen interactions in respiratory viral infections (e.g. influenza, rhinovirus, respiratory syncytial virus)

  • Longitudinal cohorts and precision medicine approaches in respiratory health

1. Non-invasive mucosal sampling for disease diagnosis and stratification;

2. Translational diagnostics and therapeutic development bridging academia, clinics, and industry


Academic Engagement in CUHK

  • Teaching programme: Perspectives in Clinical Sciences” (UGEB2791); MEDU3330 Viral Morphology and Replication

  • Summer Undergraduate Research Programme supervisor in 2015-2020, Office of Academic Link, CUHK

  • CUHK Host Family Programme in 2015-2021, Office of student Affairs. CUHK

  • Coordinator for Med 4-6, Shaw College

  • Member, Student Development Programmes Committee, Shaw College

Awards

  • 1st Prize Oral Presentation Prize, Joint Annual Scientific Meeting 2020 (HKPS, HKPNA, HKCPN & HKCH) (2020)

  • Presentation Prize, Joint Annual Scientific Meeting 2026 (HKPS, HKPNA, HKCPN & HKCH) – LEI Chun Hei Tony (Year 3 Ph.D. Student) (2026)

  • Champion, Best Presentation Award in the Fall 2025 Department RPG Presentation, Department of Paediatrics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong – BAGUIO Joan Marie Javillo (Year 1 MPhil Student) (2026)

  • 1st Runner Up, Best Presentation Award in the Fall 2025 Department RPG Presentation, Department of Paediatrics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong – WANG Shuo (Year 3 Ph.D. Student) (2026)

  • Best Poster Award, Infection 2025, 21st Annual Scientific Meeting, SH Ho Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, The Chinese University of Hong Kong – BAGUIO Joan Marie Javillo (Year 1 MPhil Student) (2025)

  • Best Presentation Award in the Spring 2025 Department RPG Presentation, Department of Paediatrics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong – WANG Shuo (Year 2 Ph.D. Student) (2025)

  • Best Presentation Award in the Spring 2025 Department RPG Presentation, Department of Paediatrics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong – LEI Chun Hei Tony (Year 2 Ph.D. Student) (2025)

  • Reaching Out Award, HKSAR Government Scholarship Fund – PUN Chun Sang Jason (Year 4) (2022)

  • Nature Reviews Immunology: Poster Prize, 15th World Immune Regulation Meeting – LIU Shaojun (Year 2, Ph.D. Student) (2021)

  • Best Poster Presenter, Infection 2019, 16th Annual Scientific Meeting, Stanley Ho Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases, The Chinese University of Hong Kong – PUN Chun-sang Jason (Year 1, Ph.D. Student) (2019)

Patents

  • US Provisional Application No. 62/865,347. Invention Title: N-Substituted Oseltamivir Derivatives with Antimicrobial Activity

Selected Publications

  1. Scheeff S, Baguio JMJ, Liang BZ, Amada JX, Tao KP, De Jonghe S, Persoons L, Chow THY, Tse CKM, Wu RY, Xu X, Zuo Z, Cheung PPH, Chan RWY, Ng BWL. Antiviral profiling and cellular activation of carbobicyclic nucleoside analogues. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 2026;69(5):5501-5539. doi:10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5c02584.

  2. Wang S, Lei TCH, Hu Y, Baguio JMJ, Ahmadabadi BN, Wang Y, Yam SLS, Tsun JGS, Jan TY, Ng CSH, Tang KH, Tao KP, Wu Y, Chen Z, Sun Z, Ng WH, Sun Q, Ko WH, Chen X, Young W, Möller A, Wang CC, Ko FWS, Liu P, Chan RWY. Regenerative restoration of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by human umbilical cord blood small extracellular vesicles. Published online August 12, 2025. doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-7328886/v1.

  3. Moraes TJ, Huang S, Chun J, Pun S, Tao KP, Liu S, Kam B, Wong S, Chun T, Lei H, Lu L, Tsoi Y, Gar J, Tsun S, Sze A, Leung Y, Kay P, Chan S, Wan R, Chan Y. Monopoly of minor group rhinovirus infections in hospitalised children in Hong Kong during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Viruses. 2025;17(10):1316. doi:10.3390/v17101316.

  4. Da F, Cao Y, Guo P, Zhang Y, He Y, Li Q, Tan W, Hou H, Tang X, Zhao H, Li L. Age-dependent innate responses to influenza A and B viruses in paediatric and adult primary nasal epithelial cells. IJID Regions. 2025;14:100533. doi:10.1016/j.ijregi.2024.100533.

  5. Pun JCS, Tao KP, Yam SLS, Hon KL, Chan PKS, Li AM, Chan RWY. Respiratory viral infection patterns in hospitalised children before and after COVID-19 in Hong Kong. Viruses. 2024;16(11):1786. doi:10.3390/v16111786.

  6. Liu S, Tsun JGS, Fung GPG, Lui GCY, Chan KYY, Chan PKS, Chan RWY. Comparison of the mucosal and systemic antibody responses in COVID-19 recovered patients with one dose of mRNA vaccine and unexposed subjects with three doses of mRNA vaccines. Frontiers in Immunology. 2023;14:1127401. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2023.1127401.

  7. Scheeff S, Wang Y, Lyu MY, Ahmadabadi BN, Hau SCK, Hui TKC, Zhang Y, Zuo Z, Chan RWY, Ng BWL. Design and synthesis of bicyclo[4.3.0]nonene nucleoside analogues. Organic Letters. 2023;25(50):9002-9007. doi:10.1021/acs.orglett.3c03590.

  8. Song YP, Tang MF, Leung ASY, Tao KP, Chan OM, Wong GWK, Chan PKS, Chan RWY, Leung TF, Zhang B. Interactive effects between CDHR3 genotype and rhinovirus species for diagnosis and severity of respiratory tract infections in hospitalized children. Microbiology Spectrum. 2023;11(5). doi:10.1128/spectrum.01181-23.

  9. Tao KP, Chong MKC, Chan KYY, Pun JCS, Tsun JGS, Chow SMW, Ng CSH, Wang MHT, Chan PKS, Li AM, Chan RWY. Suppression of influenza virus infection by rhinovirus interference – at the population, individual and cellular levels. Current Research in Microbial Sciences. 2022;3:100147. doi:10.1016/j.crmicr.2022.100147.

  10. Song Y, Hou J, Kwok JSL, Weng H, Tang MF, Wang MH, Leung ASY, Tao KP, Wong GWK, Chan RWY, Tsui SKW, Leung TF. Whole-genome shotgun sequencing for nasopharyngeal microbiome in pre-school children with recurrent wheezing. Frontiers in Microbiology. 2022;12:792556. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2021.792556.

  11. Hou J, Song Y, Leung ASY, Tang MF, Shi M, Wang EY, Tsun JGS, Chan RWY,  Wong GWK, Tsui SKW, Leung TF. Temporal dynamics of the nasopharyngeal microbiome and its relationship with childhood asthma exacerbation. Microbiology Spectrum. 2022;10(3). doi:10.1128/spectrum.00129-22.

  12. Chan RWY, Chan KCC, Lui GCY, Tsun JGS, Chan KYY, Yip JSK, Liu S, Yu MWL, Ng RWY, Chong KKL, Wang MH, Chan PKS, Li AM, Lam HS. Mucosal antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 in paediatric and adult patients: A longitudinal study. Pathogens. 2022;11(4):397. doi:10.3390/pathogens11040397/s1.

  13. Chan RWY, Liu S, Cheung JY, Tsun JGS, Chan KC, Chan KYY, Fung GPG, Li AM, Lam HS. The mucosal and serological immune responses to the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines. Frontiers in Immunology. 2021;12:744887. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2021.744887.

  14. Chan LLY, Nicholls JM, Peiris JSM, Lau YL, Chan MCW, Chan RWY. Host DNA released by NETosis in neutrophils exposed to seasonal H1N1 and highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza viruses. Respiratory Research. 2020;21(1). doi:10.1186/s12931-020-01425-w.

  15. Bui CHT, Chan RWY, Ng MMT, Cheung MC, Ng K, Chan MPK, Chan LLY, Fong JHM, Nicholls JM, Peiris JSM, Chan MCW. Tropism of influenza B viruses in human respiratory tract explants and airway organoids. European Respiratory Journal. 2019;54(2). doi:10.1183/13993003.00008-2019.

  16. Ko FWS, Chan PKS, Chan RWY, Chan KP, Ip A, Kwok A, Ngai JCL, Ng SS, On CT, Hui DSC. Molecular detection of respiratory pathogens and typing of human rhinovirus of adults hospitalized for exacerbation of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Respiratory Research. 2019;20. doi:10.1186/s12931-019-1181-0.

  17. Chan RWY, Hemida MG, Kayali G, Chu DKW, Poon LLM, Alnaeem A, Ali MA, Tao KP, Ng HY, Chan MCW, Guan Y, Nicholls JM, Peiris JSM. Tropism and replication of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus from dromedary camels in the human respiratory tract: An in-vitro and ex-vivo study. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. 2014;2(10):813-822. doi:10.1016/s2213-2600(14)70158-4.

  18. Chan RWY, Chan MCW, Agnihothram S, Chan LLY, Kuok DIT, Fong JHM, Guan Y, Poon LLM, Baric RS, Nicholls JM, Peiris JSM. Tropism of and innate immune responses to the novel human betacoronavirus lineage C virus in human ex vivo respiratory organ cultures. Journal of Virology. 2013;87(12):6604-6614. doi:10.1128/jvi.00009-13.

  19. Chan RWY, Chan MCW, Wong ACN, Karamanska R, Dell A, Haslam SM, Sihoe ADL, Chui WH, Triana-Baltzer G, Li Q, Malik Peiris JS, Fang F, Nicholls JM. DAS181 inhibits H5N1 influenza virus infection of human lung tissues. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. 2009;53(9):3935-3941. doi:10.1128/aac.00389-09.

  20. Nicholls JM, Chan MCW, Chan WY, Wong HK, Cheung CY, Kwong DLW, Wong MP, Chui WH, Poon LLM, Tsao SW, Guan Y, Peiris JSM. Tropism of avian influenza A (H5N1) in the upper and lower respiratory tract. Nature Medicine. 2007;13(2):147-149. doi:10.1038/nm1529.

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