Prof. Andrew CK Law

About Me:

Prof. Law obtained an undergraduate degree in pharmacology at the University of Toronto, then conducted postgraduate research works in cardiovascular physiology and neuroscience at the University of Cambridge and McGill University, respectively.  He is the recipient of an Alzheimer Society of Canada Research Award on studying the role of nitric oxide in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. He received his undergraduate medical training at Saint Louis University in the United States and returned to the University of Toronto for postgraduate medical training in psychiatry.

Prof. Law is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the American Psychiatric Association.  He is certified under the National Specialist Register as a psychiatrist. Prof. Law is currently holding a Senior Consultant role at Hospital Kuala Lumpur and a Consultant Psychiatrist at The Mind Faculty.

Prof. Law is a clinician-scientist.  Deciphering early vascular disturbance as a culprit in dementia pathogenesis has been his primary research interest.  He has trained a number of postgraduate research students and was the past Scientific Chairperson for the Chinese Dementia Research Association in Hong Kong.

Prof. Law is a keen medical educator who has held leadership roles at the departmental and faculty level at HKU, where he continues to hold honorary teaching appointment.  He has provided consultations to non-profit organizations in Hong Kong and is instrumental in creating the Chinese version of a popular website in educating caregivers of patients suffering from dementia.

Research Interests

• Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; biomarker; dementia; dendritic spine; depression; neurodegeneration; neurovascular unit dysfunction; nitric oxide; translational; vascular.

Short description (up to 250 words): Prof. Law has been collaborating with the neuropsychiatric research team at Hospital Kuala Lumpur to develop longitudinal biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease. He is a co-investigator in profiling undetected depression and cognitive impairments in Malaysian nursing home residents. Prof. Law has obtained funding and initiated the ongoing study in Hong Kong to examine the relationship between psychotropic efficacy and cytochrome P450 status in cognitively impaired population. In collaboration with scholars in Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, and USA, Prof. Law will lead a validation study on a recently-developed geriatric depression screening instrument in multiple languages. He is also conducting a study to evaluate medical students’ interest in pursuing a career in psychiatry.  Prof. Law has previously secured RM1.5 million to conduct dementia research. He has published in high-impact scientific journals and presented his work in international conferences.

Clubs and Associations:
American Psychiatric Association, Canadian Psychiatric Association, Chinese Dementia Research Association, Hong Kong Professional Counselling Association, Society for Neuroscience, The International Society of Vascular Behavioural and Cognitive Disorders.

Representative Publications:

1. Jo, W.K., Law, A.C.K.*, Chung, S.K. (2014). The neglected co-star in the dementia drama: the putative roles of astrocytes in the pathogeneses of major neurocognitive disorders. Molecular Psychiatry 19: 159-167 [Impact factor: 14.897]
2. Wuwongse, S., Chang, R.C.C., Law, A.C.K.* (2010). The putative neurodegenerative links between depression and Alzheimer’s disease.  Progress in Neurobiology 91 (4): 362-375. [Impact factor: 9.966]
3. Law, A., Gauthier, S., Quirion, R. (2001).  Say NO to Alzheimer’s disease: the putative links between nitric oxide and dementia of the Alzheimer’s type.  Brain Research Review, 35:1, 73-96. [Impact factor: 7.720]
4. Wong, G.T., Chang, R.C.C., Law, A.C.K.* (2013). A breach in the scaffold: The possible role of cytoskeleton dysfunction in the pathogenesis of major depression. Ageing Research Reviews 12(1): 67-75 [Impact factor: 6.174]
5. Liu, W., Wong, A., Law, A., Mok, V. (2015).  Cerebrovascular Disease, Amyloid Plaques and Cognitive Impairment. Stroke 46(5):1402-7. [Impact Factor: 6.02]
6. Lau, W.K.W., Leung, M.-K., Lee, T.M.C.*, Law, A.C.K.* (2016). Resting-state abnormalities in amnestic mild cognitive impairment: A meta-analysis. Transl Psychiatry, 6: e790; doi:10.1038/tp.2016.55 [Impact Factor: 5.62]
7. Li, Q., Leung, Y.O., Zhou, I., Ho, L., Kong, W., Paul, B., Wei, R., Lam, S., Zhang, X., Law, A., Chua, S.E., Sham, P., Wu, E., McAlonan, G. (2015). Dietary supplementation with n-3 fatty acids from weaning limits brain biochemistry and behavioural changes elicited by prenatal exposure to maternal inflammation in the mouse model. Transl Psychiatry, 5: e641 [Impact Factor: 5.62]
8. Law, A., Gauthier, S., and Quirion, R. (2003).  Alterations of nitric oxide synthase activity in young and aged apolipoprotein E-knockout mice. Neurobiology of Aging, 24:1, 187-190.  [Impact factor: 5.552]
9. Yeung W.F., Chung, K.F., Zhang, S.P., Yap, T.G., Law, A.C.K. (2009).  Electroacupuncture for Primary Insomnia: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Sleep, 32 (8): 1039-1047. [Impact factor: 5.402]
10. Bower, E.A. & Law, A.C.K. (1993). The effects of Nw-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, sodium nitroprusside and noradrenaline on venous return in the anaesthetized cat. British Journal of Pharmacology, 108, 933-940. [Impact factor: 5.270]

Awards and Accomplishments*:

Prenetics TM donation: RM 56,000 for neuropsychiatric research (2016); Joint Henderson Warmth Foundation and C.T.F. Charity Foundation grant: RM 1,500,000 for translational dementia research (2015); Y.S. Liu Foundation grant: RM 25,000 for neurodegeneration research (2015); State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences & HKU Incentive Award: RM 30,000 for research contribution in dementia (2015); Medical Ethics and Humanity Development Grant, HKU ; RM 47,000 for “psychiatry in medical humanity” course development (2014); Y.S. Liu Foundation grant: RM 25,000 for neurodegeneration research (2012); Patient donation: RM 100,000 for neurodysfunction research (2012); Fellowship awarded by American Psychiatric Association for contributions in psychiatry (2012); HKU Research Incentive Award: RM 10,000 for dementia research (2011); General Research Fund by Hong Kong Government: RM 450,000 for electro-acupuncture research as co-investigator (2011); General Research Fund by Hong Kong Government: RM 98,500 on genomic study in relation to dementia as coinvestigator (2010); Alzheimer Society of Canada Research Award (2001); Abbott Laboratories Research Fund (1996 – 1999); le Fonds de la Recherche en Santé du Québec Research Fund (1996 – 2001).

* all funding amount converted from Hong Kong Dollars unless otherwise stated.