In the first of a four-part Health Matters wellness series on frontier medicine in Hong Kong, Elizabeth Cheung looks into how the city can turn world-class research into real-world treatments and what it needs to become a global biomedical innovation hub.
Raymond Tong Kai-yu spent a decade overcoming challenges in cost and production to develop a device that could change lives: a robotic hand that helps stroke patients regain mobility and relearn everyday movements.
The Hong Kong biomedical engineer is best known for “Hand of Hope”, which he developed 15 years ago at the age of 39. The device is now used in hospitals across 15 countries, but getting there was far from smooth.
“It is challenging to turn scientific research products into real-life applications for others to use … breakthroughs in research and market access cannot happen at the same time,” said Tong, a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s department of biomedical engineering.