The Hong Kong Laureate Forum presents a remarkable opportunity to engage with some of the most distinguished scientists of our time. Meeting these great minds and learning from their groundbreaking work will be an invaluable source of inspiration for me. Their scientific insights and unwavering dedication to research will not only enhance my understanding but also shape my approach toward scientific inquiry.
Beyond acquiring knowledge, I am eager to observe the mindset, perseverance, and passion that drive these laureates to push the boundaries of human understanding. Science is not just about discoveries—it is about the relentless pursuit of truth, the resilience to overcome challenges, and the commitment to advancing knowledge for the greater good. This forum offers me the chance to absorb these essential qualities firsthand.
I am excited about this transformative opportunity and look forward to learning, engaging, and being inspired by the great scientific minds at the Laureate Forum.

The Council of the Hong Kong Laureate Forum

MicroRNAs maturation is an essential cellular process, which is under the control
of RNase III enzymes, Drosha and Dicer. The accurate determination of cleavage sites on
pre-miRNAs by Dicer is critical for the proper functioning of miRNAs. The existence of 5′-
end and 3′-end binding pockets in human Dicer has been established, where Dicer
harbors the end of pre-miRNAs and acts as a molecular ruler to identify cleavage site.
While the 5′-binding pocket is thought to disfavor Guanine at 5′-end of pre-miRNA;
however, how each different nucleotides at the 5′-end influences Dicer cleavage sites
remains unclear. In this study, we conducted a high throughput in vitro pre-miRNA cleavage assay using pre-miR-324 with randomized termini at both ends. We found that Dicer has an intrinsically significant discrimination for four nucleotides at 5′-termini, thus affecting cleavage site while the nucleotides at the end of the 3′-end and the second last nucleotide, did not significantly impact Dicer cleavage sites. Furthermore, solving cryo-EM structures of Dicer with two pre-miRNAs using cryo-EM, we discovered that Dicer has two binding pockets, dictating Dicer cleavage upon termini binding.