“Our important goal is to achieve inheritance by passing on science from generation to generation.”
Professor Dennis LO Yuk-ming, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, is referred to as the “father” of Non-invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT). The scientist who received numerous awards is not only down-to-earth, but even very much in touch with reality. Apart from comparing laboratories to scientists’ kitchens, he would think out of the box by drawing inspiration from daily activities, such as cooking instant noodles and watching a film, and transform it into the power of helping others.
In the past, pregnant women might need to receive amniocentesis (taking amniotic fluid from the womb) to test the risk of fetal Down syndrome, which might lead to fetal injury or even miscarriages. NIPT invented by Professor Dennis LO Yuk-ming has brought about a breakthrough. Simply by taking blood samples from pregnant women, NIPT can test whether the foetuses have Down syndrome or other genetic diseases in a safe manner. Since its introduction in 2011, NIPT has been adopted globally by more than 90 countries and helped more than 10 million pregnant women every year. Professor LO received a number of awards for this, including the Future Science Prize, known as “China’s Nobel Prize”, in Life Science, and the 2021 Breakthrough Prize, known as the “Oscar of Science”, in Life Sciences.
Spending most of his life in scientific research, Professor LO is not detached from reality. He likes to be a down-to-earth scientist, emphasising the possibility of using the research results achieved in laboratories to help others. In his dialogue with young scientists, Professor LO said, “Think about what you invented. You hope it can eventually help others instead of only existing in medical literature or libraries.”
Professor LO attaches great importance to nurturing the next generation. He thinks that actually many scientific discoveries or inventions could only be made with the continuous efforts of many generations of scientists, so inheritance is very important. Moreover, young scientists have the greatest creativity, and opportunities must be given to them as far as possible, so that they can do their jobs well.