I'm genuinely thrilled about the chance to take part in the Hong Kong Laureate Forum 2025. It’s an incredible opportunity to connect with leading scientists and like-minded researchers from around the world. My work focuses on photodynamic therapy (PDT), especially how it might help us better understand and address aging and degenerative diseases. I’m particularly interested in the role of lysosomal dysfunction in conditions like age-related macular degeneration and neurodegeneration.

Being part of this forum would give me a fresh perspective and the chance to learn directly from experts whose work I deeply admire. I’m also excited about the potential for interdisciplinary discussions. There is so much innovation happening at the intersections of fields, and I believe that’s where the most impactful ideas often emerge.

Also, I see this forum as a space for real scientific dialogue and community. It aligns perfectly with my goal of contributing meaningfully to aging research and helping move us closer to effective treatments for age-related diseases.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss in aging populations, is increasingly affecting younger individuals. Despite its growing prevalence, effective treatments remain elusive due to the lack of reliable disease models. We introduce a high efficiency photosensitizer for modeling AMD by targeting lysosomal dysfunction, a vital yet underexplored process in cellular aging. Using a lysosome-specific photosensitizer and low-intensity 395 nm light (2 mW/cm²) for three seconds, we induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) within lysosomes, leading to their dysfunction. This approach accurately reproduced key features of AMD in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells, including impaired waste metabolism, lysosomal membrane permeability (70%), and cellular aging, with over 60% of cells exhibiting β-galactosidase positivity. Remarkably, this was achieved while maintaining 97% cell viability. This model transforms AMD research by enabling the rapid reproduction of disease pathology and paves the way for breakthroughs in understanding and treating other age-related conditions, including neurodegeneration.