Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is collaborating with one of the largest mainland drugs manufacturers in developing a possible cure for bird flu.
The university yesterday officially sold its patented technology for extracting effective oil-soluble ingredients from a traditional Chinese herbal drink, xiasangju, to Guangzhou Sing Qun Pharmaceutical, a subsidiary of state enterprise Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings.
The drink, documented more than 100 years ago in the Qing dynasty, consists mainly of seltheal, mulberry leaves and chrysanthemum. It is a popular drink known for its 'cooling' effect, including detoxification and fatigue relief.
Karl Tsim Wah-keung, director of the Chinese medicine research and development centre at the university, said laboratory tests showed that the oil solubles extracted from the drink were effective in preventing influenza type A, type B, and bird flu.
Dr Tsim said the tests the centre conducted found that the oil solubles effectively restricted the growth of the H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus.
He hoped that the university and Guangzhou Sing Qun could co-develop a new agent based on xiasangju for use against influenza viruses. The centre made the discovery in 2005, after screening more than 200 Chinese herbal recipes.