Faculty Knowledge Exchange (KE) Award 2021

Being devoted to the research of bioinorganic chemistry, health and medicine over the past twenty years, Professor Hongzhe SUN has received international recognition for his contributions regarding research and knowledge  exchange in the area of bioinorganic chemistry development and novel medical application of metallodrugs. Over his academic life, he has also trained numerous young talents to become professors, associate professors, entrepreneurs and qualified key employees at top institutions and enterprises across the globe. In recognition of their success last year in providing prospective therapeutic options for major infectious diseases, including COVID-19 with inorganic pharmaceutics, Professor SUN and his team members Dr Hongyan LI, Dr Shuofeng YUAN and Dr Runming WANG, were awarded the Faculty Knowledge Exchange (KE) Award 2021.
 

Professor SUN’s research interests reside in the chemical biology of metals in medicine. Through integrating metalloproteomic approaches into the investigation of bioinorganic chemistry, Professor SUN and his team have provided important tools for mirroring the biological function of metallodrugs. Pioneering in using metallodrugs as treatment for (multi)drug-resistant bacterial infections as well as proposing bismuth drugs as anti-SARS-CoV agents, his work shows enormous potential to improve respectively currently-used antibiotics and clinical trial of oral drug treatments on COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, his findings on bismuth drugs are the principle of bismuth-based antiulcer drugs development in China. 
 

Apart from research, he also actively cooperates with the pharmaceutical industry to translate his work into practical applications beneficial to society.