'Certainly, we felt pressured. Before, science was about curiosity, but with Sars, patients' lives were at stake. One project was to develop a test for the virus, and we knew that as soon as we'd got that done, potentially infected people could be tested and the spread of the disease minimised.

Psychologically, we felt more like soldiers than scientists. We were fighting the enemy that had infiltrated our city without us knowing and we felt a sense of duty to accomplish our mission.

'Our group was one of the first to decode the genetic signature of the virus [on April 16], and the first to demonstrate that there were multiple strains of the virus. This data has proven useful in tracing the infection and was used to develop a serum-based test for Sars.

'Hong Kong has always taken pride as a place where east meets west, where there is a free exchange of ideas, and where people are regarded as innovative - but usually in a commercial sense. The leading role taken by our researchers during Sars shows we can be equally innovative in medicine and science. Since many infectious diseases emanate from this part of the world, it is important for our health and that of our neighbours that this work continues.

'This year, our main area of research will concern the study of DNA and RNA [ribonucleic acid] circulating in blood plasma, particularly its implications on prenatal testing and cancer testing. In 2003, one of our main discoveries was that the unborn foetus releases large amounts of RNA through the placenta, potentially allowing us to screen for diseases simply by looking at the mother's blood.

'One of the main diseases we would like to diagnose before birth, using this research, is Down's syndrome, and develop a new and safe test for it. We are now closer to this than ever before.'