Silicon Valley International Invention Festival 2025

HKBU Achieves 4 Awards at the 2025 Silicon Valley International Inventions Festival

HKBU made a distinguished debut at the 2025 Silicon Valley International Inventions Festival (SVIIF), held from August 8 to 10 at the Santa Clara Convention Centre. Marking its first participation in this esteemed event, four HKBU start-ups and projects presented their innovative solutions, collectively securing 4 awards, including 2 Gold medals, 2 Silver medals, highlighting HKBU’s dedication to cutting-edge research and innovation on the international stage.

The award-winning HKBU research projects are:

Gold Medal: Aspire Motion® Wearable Digital Therapy – Prof. Jeffery CHEUNG, Retired Professor, Department of Physics; Mr Gary JIN, Chief Executive Officer of Surge Motion Inc.; Ms Vicky CHEUNG, Chief Data Scientist of Surge Motion Inc.

Company authorized by HKBU:  Booguu Company Limited (a subsidiary of Surge Motion Inc.)

Booguu’s Aspire Motion® is an innovative healthcare platform designed to help prevent falls among older adults. It works by quickly assessing an individual’s risk of falling and then providing personalised exercises through a user-friendly mobile app. What sets Aspire Motion apart is a small wearable device that accurately measures how well these exercises are performed, ensuring the therapy is effective and tailored to each person’s needs. This system is officially recognised as a safe and reliable medical device, using advanced technology to detect subtle balance and mobility issues often missed by traditional methods. Aspire Motion enables healthcare providers to offer timely, targeted support that can significantly improve seniors’ safety and quality of life.

Gold Medal: Metabolic modulation of intratumoral cholesterol with engineered bacteria for the treatment of colorectal cancer – Prof. Hoi Leong Xavier WONG, Professor, Chinese Medicine - Teaching and Research Division

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide, with few effective treatments, especially for drug-resistant cases. Our invention, CHOX, is an innovative microbial therapy that targets excess cholesterol which helps CRC grow. CHOX reduces this harmful cholesterol and turns it into 4-cholesten-3-one (4-C-3), a natural compound that fights cancer. Uniquely, 4-C-3 blocks two key pathways that drive CRC, overcoming resistance to current treatments. Tested in lab models, CHOX showed strong anti-cancer effects and excellent safety. This therapy offers a promising, safe option for patients when conventional treatments fail.

Silver Medal: Development of Justicia Chinese Medicinal Plants as Antiviral Veterinary Products - Prof. Hongjie ZHANG, Chair Professor in Chinese Medicine, Chinese Medicine – Teaching and Research Division

Prof. Hongjie ZHANG and his team evaluated over 3,000 plant extracts from China’s Lingnan region and identified Justicia medicinal plants as strong antiviral candidates against influenza viruses. Extracts from Justicia species effectively inhibited H5N1 virus replication without harming host cells. The active compounds showed broad antiviral activity at low concentrations, targeting viruses such as H5N1, Japanese encephalitis, Zika, HIV, SARS-CoV-2, and Ebola. These compounds block a key step in viral infection, preventing viruses from entering cells. Botanical formulations containing these ingredients have demonstrated high safety and effectiveness, making them promising for animal feed additives and veterinary antiviral treatments.

Silver Medal: Broad absorption spectrum for sunscreen compounds and its applications – Prof. Jill CHIU, Associate Professor of the Department of Biology; and Dr Jenny NG, CEO and Founder of Jelumiere Biotech Limited

 Company authorized by HKBU: Jelumiere Biotech Limited

Jelumiere Biotech Limited offers a new kind of sun protection that is both safe and highly effective. Unlike many chemical sunscreens, it avoids harmful ingredients that can affect hormones. It also works better than physical sunscreens by protecting against a wide range of sunlight, including UVA, UVB, and visible light, while mostly staying on the skin’s surface. Tested for sensitive skin, Jelumiere’s formula is stable and gentle, making it ideal for clean and natural skincare products. This technology helps brands create safe, high-SPF sunscreens that provide consumers with better, long-lasting sun protection.

The SVIIF is a global gathering that attracts creative minds from over 30 countries and regions to showcase their latest innovations in the heart of the United States. Backed by the City of Santa Clara, the International Federation of Inventors’ Associations (IFIA), and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), this event celebrates breakthrough inventions and offers inventors a chance to earn prestigious awards. It also provides a valuable platform for innovators to connect with the dynamic Silicon Valley market, fostering opportunities for growth and collaboration within one of the world’s leading  technology hubs.