Dr. Judith Mak is currently Principal Lecturer of Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy. She received her degree in Pharmacology (BSc) from The University of London in the UK. She then completed her PhD in localization of lung receptors (‘Localization of some pharmacological receptors in human and animal lung’) at the University of London under the supervision of Professor Peter J. Barnes. Following her postdoctoral training and Lecturership in the research areas for the treatment of chronic obstructive lung diseases at the National Heart & Lung Institute of Imperial College London, she returned to Hong Kong in 2002 and joined the Department of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, where she went through the ranks of Research Assistant Professor, Assistant Professor and Associate Professor before becoming Principal Lecturer. Her research interest is mainly focused on cellular and molecular mechanisms of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), understanding and developing therapies. Her major research contributions have been in the understanding of the development of b2-agonist tolerance, and the interaction between glucocorticoid receptors and b2-adrenoceptors in the intracellular signaling pathways leading to the combination therapy of long-acting inhaled b2-agonist and inhaled glucocorticoid (e.g. SymbicortÒ and SeretideÒ). She is an internationally recognized scientist in the respiratory field. She has collaborated with academic researchers, both locally and internationally on cross-disciplinary projects. She is the principal investigator and co-investigator of a number of research projects funded by RGC, HMRF and NSFC.

Dr. Judith Mak and her research associates

Memberships & Editorships

Memberships:

• Member of American Thoracic Society
• Member of British Pharmacology Society
• Member of British Association for Lung Research
• Member of Biochemical Society
• Member of Hong Kong Pharmacology Society
• Member of Hong Kong Thoracic Society
• Member of Institute of Cardiovascular Science and Medicine, HKU

Editorships:

• Associate Editor for Respirology (Sept 2014 – present)
• Editorial Board Member for Frontiers in Pharmacology – Ethnopharmacology (Jan 2020 – present)

Honours and Awards

• PhD student (Miss CHEN, R) awarded 2020 International Trainee Scholarship (ITS) for her abstract by American Thoracic Society (ATS), June 2020
• PhD student (Miss CHEN, R) awarded the International Society of Respiratory Diseases (ISRD)-American Thoracic Society (ATS) Youth Award for her poster presentation at the ATS 2019 International Conference, Dallas, USA
• PhD student (Miss CUI, Y) awarded the Best Abstract in Basic Science & Translational for her oral presentation at the 22nd Medical Research Conference 2017, Hong Kong
• PhD student (Miss CUI, Y) awarded the International Trainee Travel Award (ITTA) for her poster presentation at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2016 International Conference, San Francisco, USA
• PhD student (Miss CUI, Y) awarded the Travel Award for her poster presentation at Airway Vista 2015, Seoul, Korea
• PhD student (Miss LIANG, Y) awarded 3rd prize for an outstanding Oral Presentation at the 18th Annual Scientific Meeting of ICSM (2014), Hong Kong
• PhD student (Mr. LI, X) awarded Abstract Scholarship for his poster presentation at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2014 International Conference, San Diego, USA
• PhD student (Miss LIANG, Y) awarded the Best Poster Award at the 17th Congress of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology (APSR) 2012, Hong Kong
• PhD student (Miss HAN, Q) awarded International Trainee Travel Award for her poster presentation at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2009 International Conference, San Diego, USA

• Airway epithelial, smooth muscle and endothelial cell biology and function
• Elucidation of pathophysiological pathways and possible intervention with potential therapeutic agents in rodent models of chronic airway diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (i.e. cigarette smoke-exposed rat and mouse models), asthma (i.e. ovalbumin sensitized allergen challenged and ozone-exposed mouse models), and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) [i.e. intermittent hypoxia (IH)-exposed rat and mouse models]
• Examination of various antioxidants including pure EGCG, one of the major catechins present in Chinese green tea; resveratrol, a polyphenol found in red wine and active ingredient from Chinese herbal medicine in comparison to N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on oxidant/antioxidant status, protease/antiprotease status, markers of pro-inflammatory/anti-inflammatory status, and the morphological changes of the lungs in various rodent models in vivo
• Cellular mechanisms of mesenchymal stem cells in the preventive and therapeutic treatment of chronic airway diseases, i.e. COPD and asthma

Photomicrographs of H & E staining for histological changes (A and B), and PAS staining for mucin-containing goblet cells (C and D) of rat lung and airway sections after exposure to sham air (A and C) and cigarette smoke (B and D). Cigarette smoke caused alveolar wall destruction (B) and an increase in the number of mucin-containing goblet cells (D).

Photomicrographs of mitochondrial transfer from human MSCs to lung cells in cigarette smoke-exposed rat lung sections under fluorescent microscope. Clara cell secretory protein (CC)-10 labelled red (Alexa Fluor 594) detecting lung epithelial cells, human/rat Complex I labelled green (Alexa Fluor 488) detecting human/rat mitochondria, and human Cox-4 labelled violet (Alexa Fluor 660) detecting human mitochondria only. Colocalization of red and violet signals indicates the adoption of human mitochondria by lung epithelium. (Cover page for American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology, 2014; Volume 51, Issue 3)

Selected Publications

List of Publications

• Chen R, Michaeloudes C, Liang Y, Bhavsar PK, Chung KF, Ip MSM, Mak JCW*. ORMDL3 regulates cigarette smoke-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress in airway smooth muscle cells. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2022 Apr;149(4):1445-1457.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2021.09.028. (IF 14.29)
• Liang Y, Chu PH, Tian L, Ho KF, Ip MSM, Mak JCW*. Targeting mitochondrial permeability transition pore ameliorates PM 2.5-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in airway epithelial cells. Environ Pollut 2022 Feb 15;295:118720. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118720. (IF 9.988)
• Liang Y, Du R, Chen R, Chu PH, Ip MSM, Zhang KYB, Mak JCW*. Therapeutic potential and mechanism of Dendrobium officinale polysaccharides on cigarette smoke-induced airway inflammation in rat. Biomed Pharmacother 2021 Nov;143:112101. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.112101. Epub 2021 Aug 30. (IF 7.419)
• Cui Y, Liang Y, Ip MSM, Mak JCW*. Cigarette smoke induces apoptosis via 18 kDa translocator protein in human bronchial epithelial cells. Life Sci 2021 Jan 15;265:118862. doi: 10.1016/j.lfs.2020.118862. (IF 3.647)
• Chen R, Liang Y, Ip MSM, Zhang KY, Mak JCW*. Amelioration of Cigarette Smoke-Induced Mucus Hypersecretion and Viscosity by Dendrobium officinale Polysaccharides In Vitro and In Vivo. Oxid Med Cell Longev 2020 Oct 21;2020:8217642. doi: 10.1155/2020/8217642. (IF 5.076)
• Liang Y, Ip MSM, Mak JCW*. (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate suppresses cigarette smoke-induced inflammation in human cardiomyocytes via ROS-mediated MAPK and NF-κB pathways. Phytomedicine 2019 May;58:152768. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2018.11.028. (IF 4.268)
• Li X, Michaeloudes C, Zhang Y, Wiegman CH, Adcock IM, Lian Q, Mak JCW*, Bhavsar PK, Chung KF. Mesenchymal stem cells alleviate oxidative stress-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in the airways. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2018 May;141(5):1634-1645.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2017.08.017. (IF 10.228)
• Liang Y, Liu KWK, Yeung SC, Li X, Ip MSM, Mak JCW*. (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate reduces cigarette smoke-induced airway neutrophilic inflammation and mucin hypersecretion in rats. Front Pharmacol 2017 Sep 06;8:618. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2017.00618. (IF 4.225)
• Li X, Zhang Y, Liang Y, Cui Y, Yeung SC, Ip MSM, Tse HF, Lian Q, Mak JCW*. iPSC-derived mesenchymal stem cells exert SCF-dependent recovery of cigarette smoke-induced apoptosis/proliferation imbalance in airway cells. J Cell Mol Med. 2017 Feb;21(2):265-277. doi: 10.1111/jcmm.12962. (IF 4.486)
• Li X, Zhang Y, Yeung SC, Liang Y, Liang X, Ding Y, Ip MSM, Tse HF, Mak JCW*. Lian Q. Mitochondrial transfer of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells to airway epithelial cells attenuates cigarette smoke-induced damage. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2014; 51:455-65. (IF 5.373)

• General Research Fund (GRF), Research Grant Council (RGC), Hong Kong (2021-2023) ‘Physiological mechanism of Acu-TENS on airway obstructive disease: a COPD-like animal model’ – Co-Investigator (PI: Dr. Pui Ching Shirley NGAI, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University)
• Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF), Hong Kong (2020-2023) ‘The anti-asthmatic effects of Houttuynia cordata (Yu Xing Cao) essential oil – a mechanistic study’ – Co-Investigator (PI: Dr. King Ho CHEUNG, Hong Kong Baptist University)
• Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF) for COVID-19. Hong Kong (2020-2022) ‘The role of smoking on the regulation of ACE2-mediated infectivity of COVID-19’ (COVID190201) – Principal Investigator
• Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF), Hong Kong (2020-2022) ‘Effect of electronic cigarettes on calcium- and cAMP-dependent ion transport in the human bronchial epithelia using a simultaneous electrophysiological and fluorescence technique’ – Co-Investigator (PI: Dr. Wing Hung KO, The Chinese University of Hong Kong)
• General Programme, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (2019-2022) ‘A mechanistic study of mesenchymal stem cell-mediated mitochondrial transfer for the recuse of oxidative stress-induced airway cell injury’ – Principal Investigator
• 深圳市民生项目 - 三名工程 (SanMing Project), China (2017-2022) ‘气道疾病临床服务和科研集成计划’ – A team member
• Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF), Hong Kong (2018-2020) ‘Amelioration of cigarette smoke-induced mucus hypersecretion by Dendrobium officinale polysaccharides – relevant to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease’ – Principal Investigator
• General Programme, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (2014-2017) ‘Therapeutic potential of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hiPSC-MSCs) on oxidative stress-induced lung injury’ (81370140) – Principal Investigator

Current Team Member

• Dr Rui CHEN (Postdoctoral Fellow)

Key Research Collaborators

• Dr Raymond CC CHANG, Associate Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong
• Dr Michael CW CHAN, Associate Professor, School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong
• Dr Qizhou LIAN, Scientific Officer, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong
• Dr. Pui Ching Shirley NGAI, Associate Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
• Dr. King Ho CHEUNG, Associate Professor, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University
• Dr. Wing Hung KO, Associate Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
• Professor Kian Fan CHUNG, Head of Group for Experimental Studies of Airway Disease, National Heart & Lung Institute (NHLI) @ Imperial College London

Regular Student Consultation Hours

Office

L2-07, 2/F, 21 Sassoon Road, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, Laboratory Block, Faculty of Medicine Building, Hong Kong SAR, China