Information of MWLC and its research
The Ming Wai Lau Centre for Reparative Medicine was Karolinska Institutet's first overseas branch and the first example of a Swedish public university establishing a unit outside of its national borders.
Ming Wai Lau Centre for Reparative Medicine (MWLC) at Karolinska Institutet was inaugurated in October 2016 in Hong Kong and became operational during spring 2017. Initially the activities mainly focused on recruitment as well as the organization of research facilities and technical platforms. Significant effort has been devoted to setting up administrative routines that will allow operation in compliance with both Swedish and Hong Kong regulations.
The MWLC initiative aims at improving human health and quality of life through research based on international teamwork and collaborations. The research activities at MWLC focus on tissue repair, with special emphasis on the nervous system and skin. A key component of MWLC’s research is the development of frontline technologies applicable to imaging and tracing, drug delivery and tissue engineering to be used in various domains of reparative medicine. With its two nodes, one in Hong Kong and one in Stockholm, MWLC offered a unique, collaborative environment for research in one of the most rapidly evolving fields with translational implications.
In Hong Kong, four principal investigators, Assistant Professors Sijie Chen, Linxian Li, Zongli Zheng and Head of Research Dongan Wang operated until November 2023. In Stockholm, six Lau Fellows were appointed and funded through a career support programme for group leaders at KI between 2016 and 2022.
The MWLC Hong Kong node was closed on 31 December 2023. From 1 January 2024 operations are based in Sweden only.