UM undergraduate team wins first prize at National College Students Life Sciences Competition

MACAU, August 4 - A team of undergraduate students from the Faculty of Medicine (FMD) (formerly the Faculty of Health Sciences) at the University of Macau (UM) won a first prize at the 11th National College Students Life Sciences Competition (Scientific Inquiry Category). The award recognised the team’s innovative therapeutic strategy for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which integrates biomedical science with intelligent drug delivery technologies. The team was also selected to present their research at a project roadshow during the closing ceremony, showcasing the research capabilities, innovative spirit, and academic presentation skills of UM students.

The competition attracted over 26,000 teams from 787 higher education institutions across China. Entries covered a wide range of cutting-edge research areas, including cellular regulation, microbial technology, biomedicine, food safety, and environmental science. The award-winning UM team comprised Yan Hao, Zhang Xinyu, Wei Ning, and Yang Songhan from the Biomedical Sciences programme, as well as Shi Yuxi from the Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology programme. The project was supervised by Associate Professor Zhao Qi and PhD student Xiao Zuoxiu in FMD, with experimental support from Professor Xu Qingsong in the Faculty of Engineering.

The award-winning project, titled ‘Magnetic Robot-Assisted Targeted Delivery of Ginger-Derived Exosomes for the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease’, explored a precision-targeted drug delivery strategy for IBD. Drawing on expertise in biomedical sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, nanotechnology, and intelligent delivery systems, the team combined magnetic robot technology with ginger-derived exosomes to improve the targeted delivery of therapeutic agents. By using magnetic field guidance to enhance the accumulation of exosomes at diseased sites, the team aimed to improve therapeutic efficacy while reducing side effects.

Yan Hao, the team leader, said that the competition enabled her to progress from conducting experiments to managing a research project. She was involved in every stage of the project, including literature review, study design, experimental planning, data analysis, and the final presentation. She recalled that the team faced a major challenge when a critical experiment involving the exosome-based magnetic robot encountered a technical bottleneck. However, through repeated testing and with the guidance of their supervisors, the team overcame the obstacle and achieved a breakthrough. Yan added that the experience made her realise that scientific research is not simply about mastering laboratory techniques, but about a continuous process of exploring the unknown, questioning assumptions, and refining one’s understanding.

Shi Yuxi, who was mainly responsible for cell-based experiments, report writing, and the final presentation, described presenting the project at a national competition as both challenging and rewarding. As someone who is rather introverted, she found that the experience helped her communicate research findings with greater confidence. She added that the project, which innovatively applied magnetic robot technology to IBD treatment, highlighted the potential of interdisciplinary research combining life sciences, materials science, and engineering.

The National College Students Life Sciences Competition is one of the most influential national competitions for undergraduate students in life sciences. It provides students with a high-level platform for scientific research and innovation. The UM team’s achievement reflects the university’s success in nurturing high-calibre talent in medical sciences.