Professor Kwok-fai So, Editor-in-Chief of Neural Regeneration Research, has been named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). 168 NAI Fellows were inducted on April 15, 2016, as part of the Fifth Annual Conference of the National Academy of Inventors at the USPTO in Alexandria, Virginia.
Professor Kwok-fai So currently serves as Director of GHM Institute of Neural Regeneration, Jinan University and Jessie Ho Professor in Neuroscience, Department of Ophthalmology of Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong. Professor So is one of the pioneers in the field of axonal regeneration in visual system, and he is a leader in the area of neuroprotection and neuroregeneration of the mammalian optic nerve, spinal cord and brain. He is Co-Chairman of the Board of Director of the China Spinal Cord Injury Network and Director of Hong Kong Spinal Cord Fund (HKSCIFund). He is the recipient of China National Natural Science Award, China Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Contribution Award, Rick Hansen Difference Maker Award, Everfront Award for Stem Cells Research. He has published 303 articles, two books and 70 review articles. Other than serving as Editor-in-Chief of Neural Regeneration Research, Professor So is also member of editorial board of 14 journals, including Cell Transplantation, Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience and Chinese Journal of Neuroscience. He is a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences as well.
Professor So holds 4 U.S. patents, 16 international patents and 3 China patents, with 16 patents in the field of hemostasis (stop bleeding) and sealant (control leaking). His most significant patents are Compositions and Methods for Promoting Hemostasis and Other Physiological Activities and Compositions and Methods for Affecting Movement of Contaminants, Bodily Fluids or Other Entities, and/or Affecting Other Physiological Conditions, and they have been licensed to Arch Therapeutics. These patents describe compositions that include nanoscale-structured materials or precursors thereof (e.g., self-assembling peptides), as well as methods for using the compositions to promote hemostasis, to protect the skin or wounds from contamination. It is significant because it can be developed into a new product that can seal and protect leaking and bleeding tissue. This may transform the landscape of interventional healthcare.
Founded in 2010, the National Academy of Inventors is a non-profit member organization comprised of U.S. and international universities, and governmental and non-profit research institutions, with over 3,000 individual inventor members and fellows spanning more than 200 institutions, and growing rapidly. It was to recognize and encourage inventors with patents issued from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourage the disclosure of intellectual property, educate and mentor innovative students, and translate the inventions of its members to benefit society.