D²4H and MSD Sign Collaboration Agreement to Advance Disease Prevention and Treatment
[Hong Kong, October 18, 2023] The Laboratory of Data Discovery for Health Limited (D24H) is pleased to announce a collaboration agreement with Merck Sharp & Dohme (Asia) Ltd. (MSD) on October 17, 2023. This strategic partnership aims to accelerate the development of innovative artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for public health and medicine, focusing on advancing disease prevention and treatment.
The D24H and MSD will collaborate to translate scientific discoveries into practical applications, focusing on addressing unmet public health and medical needs. Aligning research efforts with industry priorities, the partnership will foster data-driven innovations that will strengthen the competitiveness of Hong Kong’s healthcare industry amidst a rapidly changing market landscape and dynamics.
Professor Joseph Wu, Managing Director of the D24H, expressed, “We are thrilled to partner with MSD, a global pharmaceutical leader. As one of the research and development (R&D) centres established under the Hong Kong Government’s InnoHK initiative, the D24H strives to protect global public health by curating insightful data resources and developing cutting-edge data analytics. In collaboration with MSD, we will expand our research portfolio with specific market targets and elevate our research impact to new heights. This partnership underscores our unwavering commitment to innovative research, positioning us as a pioneering force in healthcare research and laying the groundwork for further collaborations with industrial partners in the future. We look forward to embarking on our upcoming R&D projects under the collaboration agreement.”
Echoing Professor Wu’s remark on the significance of this collaboration agreement, Mr Vincent Tong, Managing Director of MSD Hong Kong & Macau, shared: “As a biopharmeutical company which has been following science, we are committed to exploring different pathways on data to drive our innovations and operations. This is our honour to embark this meaningful partnership with Professor Joseph Wu and his team. We believe the health data in Hong Kong does not only serve the public health needs, but could also be translated to a key economic pillar while leveraging opportunity in the Greater Bay Area.”
Dr Kathy Leung, Co-Investigator of the D24H and Assistant Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong, will lead the first project of this collaboration, titled “Population-based Descriptive Analysis on Invasive Pneumococcal Diseases Surveillance in Hong Kong 2015-2023”. The aim of this project is to synthesise evidence from surveillance data to elucidate the local and regional epidemiology of Invasive Pneumococcal Diseases (IPD) in order to facilitate the nowcasting and forecasting of disease burden. The D24H will develop a publicly accessible interactive dashboard with state-of-the-art data visualisation to disseminate epidemic intelligence on IPD among healthcare professional and the general public.
About the Laboratory of Data Discovery for Health Limited (D²4H)
The Laboratory of Data Discovery for Health Limited aims to gather and curate massive, unique data resources and develop deep, frontier analytics to protect global public health while improving individual healthcare through precision medicine. The D²4H brings together a multi-disciplinary team of the world’s leading scientists to apply AI and big data in ways that will revolutionize our approaches to understanding and treating disease.
Led by the University of Hong Kong and supported by renowned national and international academic institutions. The research teams at the D²4H have long-term collaborative and advisory partnerships with health authorities such as the World Health Organization and China Center for Disease Control and Prevention. By fostering partnerships across multiple disciplines and sectors, the D²4H advances the frontiers of healthcare technology in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, and beyond. The mission of the D²4H is to generate tremendous healthcare benefits for global health via the development of innovative digital solutions.
About Merck Sharp & Dohme (Asia) Ltd. (MSD)
At MSD, known as Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA in the United States and Canada, we are unified around our purpose: We use the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world. For more than 130 years, we have brought hope to humanity through the development of important medicines and vaccines. We aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world – and today, we are at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions that advance the prevention and treatment of diseases in people and animals. We foster a diverse and inclusive global workforce and operate responsibly every day to enable a safe, sustainable and healthy future for all people and communities.
(Website: https://www.msd.com.hk/)
For the press release in Chinese version, please click here.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Laboratory of Data Discovery for Health Limited
Ms Karen Ha
Tel: +852 3910 3776
Email: kykha@d24h.hk
Merck Sharp & Dohme (Asia) Ltd.
Ms Stella Li
Tel: +852 3971 2849
Email: stella.li@merck.com
