Professor Edwin Chan Ho-yin (centre) receives the Spirit of Innovation Award at the 13th Spirit of Hong Kong Awards (photo courtesy of South China Morning Post)
Rare disease researcher Edwin Chan honoured with Spirit of Hong Kong Awards
12 March 2026
For more than two decades, Professor Edwin Chan Ho-yin has devoted himself to a field too rare to attract sustained attention: neurodegenerative disorders affecting only a small number of patients. Now Director of CUHK’s School of Life Sciences in the Faculty of Science, he has spent his career translating molecular discoveries into clinical applications. In February, that long-standing commitment was recognised with the Spirit of Innovation Award at the 13th Spirit of Hong Kong Awards.
Professor Chan’s research focuses on conditions such as Huntington’s disease, spinocerebellar ataxias and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that are marked by progressive decline and limited therapeutic options. After years working abroad, he chose to return to Hong Kong in 2002, struck by the scarcity of resources available to these patients. He became one of the city’s early pioneers in rare disease research.
In 2023, determined to translate laboratory breakthroughs like those he has made over the past two decades into treatments, he founded the biotech startup Rare Power. Supported by CUHK and Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks, his team employs fruit fly models to develop peptide-based biologics aimed at clearing harmful molecules implicated in neurodegeneration – therapies that alter the course of diseases long deemed intractable.
Professor Chan’s vision extends beyond drug development. His team established RareBank, a biobank and patient registry designed to connect patients, doctors and researchers. By facilitating data sharing and collaboration, the platform accelerates diagnosis while fostering an empowered community among patients who have too often faced their conditions in isolation.
“Science should never exist in a vacuum,” Professor Chan reflects. “It should respond to human suffering. It only truly matters when it touches someone’s life. Perhaps we won’t find cures for every rare disease in my lifetime. But if we leave behind knowledge, compassion and a community that keeps moving forward, that is already success.”
Organised by Sino Group and the South China Morning Post, the Spirit of Hong Kong Awards are held annually to honour unsung heroes in Hong Kong who contribute to the community or inspire others with stories of how they have overcome personal challenges. In 2025, 10 awardees were recognised.
