Dr. Chang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anatomy, Investigator and Coordinator of Research Centre of Heart, Brain, Hormone and Healthy Aging, Investigator and Executive Management Committee Member of The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. Dr. Chang is also the Founder and Secretary of HKU Alzheimer’s Disease Research Network.

Dr. Chang received a research scholarship by German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) to pursue his doctoral training in neurophysiology and clinical neuroscience at the University of Munich, Munich, Germany, in 1994-1997. Afterwards, he continued his postdoctoral training in neuropharmacology and molecular neuroscience at National Institute of Environmental Health, National Institutes of Health, USA, in 1997-2000. During that time, he received the Visiting Research Fellowship Award and the NIH Fellow Award for Research Excellence by the National Institutes of Health. He then moved to The University of Hong Kong as Research Officer in 2000-2001. He became Research Assistant Professor in 2001, Assistant Professor in 2005, and Associate Professor in 2012. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed publications and 9 book chapters in neurodegeneration, neuroimmunology and drug discovery in these areas. Examples of his peer-reviewed papers are published in Acta Neuropathologica, Journal of Biological Chemistry, Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Progress in Neurobiology, Ageing Research Review, Journal of Nutrition Biochemistry and Free Radical in Medicine and Biology. His h-index is 27 by Scopus and 32 by Google Scholar. Dr. Chang is now the Scientific Advisory Board member in International Alzheimer’s / Parkinson’s diseases Symposium, Scientific Review Committee for Alzheimer Association in USA. He is the handling associate editor in Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, and Section Chief Editor for Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology. He is also a member of editorial board of more than 12 different journals.

Dr. Chang’s research interest is to investigate molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease so that pharmacological targets can be found. Dr. Chang has studied neuronal apoptosis. He and his colleagues are among the first to discover a stress kinase, called double-stranded RNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR), plays important role in beta-amyloid peptide-induced neuronal apoptosis. He then utilizes 2-photon confocal imaging to investigate the damage of intracellular organelles, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria, in neurodegeneration and how their damage triggers autophagy (self-eating process) to struggle for survival. His group discovered the aggregation of the ER stimulate the nucleation step of autophagy. His group is now focusing how risk factors, depression and systemic inflammation, affect the synapses. He is also investigating how ER-stress responses and phosphorylation of tau protein propagate neurodegeneration. Having identified all these therapeutic targets, Dr. Chang employs herbal medicine to prevent neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease and glaucoma. An representative of the Chinese medicine is Wolfberry (Gouqizi). His and Professor So’s groups together have published over 40 papers on the protective effects on Wolfberry. Recently, they are editing a book about Wolfberry and Human Health. 

郑传忠博士，香港大学医学院解剖学系副教授、香港大学脑与认知科学国家重点实验室中神经系统退化及神经保护团队负责人，解剖学系神经系统退化症实验室负责人，香港大学医学院心脑内分泌及抗衰老实验室团队负责人及理事，香港大学老年痴呆症研究网络召集人及秘书长，博士后研究员及博士生导师。1994-1997年在德国政府奬学金到慕尼黑大学外科研究所神经生物学实验室攻读博士学位。1997-2000年以NIH访问博士后学者在美国国家卫生研究局进行访问研究工作。2010年至今担任Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease副编辑, Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology的Natural Medicine首席编辑, 及其他十二份学术期刊的编委。郑博士亦为超过五十份SCI学术期刊作为评审员。2005至今年为美国老年痴呆学会基金评审委员，2008为香港研究资助局评审委员, 及波兰国家科学研究基金评审委员。郑博士是自1998年以来为国际权威Alzheimer’s disease / Parkinson’s disease (ADPD) 科学会议科学顾问委员，多次应邀在国际会议作特邀报告。郑博士也是第一位科学家在香港举办老年痴呆症研究国际会议。连续第三年由郑博士筹办及主持这个国际会议。郑博士也为香港国际健康老年研究会议主席。郑博士在2010-2011年为两本神经系统退化病专书作为特聘编辑。他出版SCI论文100篇, 专书章9篇，被引用超过1878余次 (H=27, Scopus)。郑博士长期从事神经元退化疾病(老年痴呆症，又名腦退化症)中神经细胞凋亡及自噬信号传导信道的研究。内质网 (Endoplasmic Reticulum, ER) 应激参与神经细胞凋亡信号传导与AD发病机制，致力于寻找具有神经细胞保护作用的新物质，研究了中药在神经细胞保护中所作用的细胞信号传递信道。郑博士长期从事杞子及中葯对神经细胞的保护作用硏究。