Prof. XU Jun

Assistant Professor
School of Chinese Medicine - Teaching and Research Division

After completing his PhD at HKBU, Prof. Xu Jun joined his alma mater in 2022 as an exceptional young researcher. His primary focus is establishing a robust quality control system for Chinese medicines to ensure their safety and efficacy. His studies have already produced notable results, leading to growing recognition of his achievements in both international academia and industry, thereby laying a solid foundation for a promising academic career ahead.

Driven by his curiosity to identify key chemical components that are crucial to the safety of Chinese medicines, Prof. Xu was among the first researchers to reveal the detrimental impact of sulphur fumigation on the quality of Chinese medicines. His subsequent research led to a groundbreaking approach to inspecting sulphur-treated Chinese herbal medicinal products through a new chemical marker. This enabled an advance in the safety assurance of Chinese medicines that ultimately delivers substantial benefits to consumers worldwide. The approach was awarded the Gold Medal at the 4th Asia Exhibition of Innovations and Inventions.

Prof. Xu’s achievements include the pioneering discovery of the synergistic efficacy of multi-component interactions in Chinese medicines. This breakthrough has fuelled his investigation into the intricate structure-property relationship between Chinese medicinal components and gut microbiota. These research outcomes highlight the necessity of considering multi-components, particularly polysaccharides—which have been often overlooked—as crucial chemical markers for the quality control of Chinese medicines. Prof. Xu established a quality control method focusing on polysaccharides, which is being adopted by several domestic and international Chinese medicine enterprises, thus underscoring the practical relevance and wide-reaching influence of his contributions.

The international academic community has shown significant interest in Prof. Xu’s work. Over the past two years, he has been invited to present his findings at seven academic meetings, showcasing his work to a wider audience. The recognition within the scientific community is exemplified by Prof. Xu’s academic achievements. He has published over 70 papers in peer-reviewed journals and has an H-index of 29. Prof. Xu has received research accolades from prestigious academic journals in the field of Chinese medicine, such as being named the Outstanding Youth Editorial Board Member of “Chinese Medicine” in 2023 and securing the Outstanding Contribution in Reviewing Award of “Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis” in 2022.

Renowned for his dedication to high-quality research, Prof. Xu has throughout his HKBU career successfully secured multiple external competitive grants. These include for six projects as Principal Investigator from the General Research Fund (GRF), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), and the Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF). He is also working on collaborative projects with a view to promoting the translation of his basic research into practical applications.

With his notable accomplishments through his research findings and potential for future work, Prof. Xu’s contributions to enhancing the safety and efficacy of Chinese medicines highlight a combination of scientific rigour, innovative approaches, and practical applications. He has thus emerged as a high calibre candidate for the President’s Award for Outstanding Performance as Early Career Researcher.