Promising New Hepatitis Drug — The Latest Achievement for Top Expert Chronic hepatitis B infection affects 257 million people worldwide and kills about 900,000 people, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).1 About one-third of patients will develop liver cancer or end-stage liver failure if their infection is left untreated. Infection is particularly high in Asia, including Hong Kong, which has inspired the stellar career path of Professor Yuen Man-fung, Chair Professor and Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in the Department of Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine. Professor Yuen has been the top one hepatitis B researcher in the world for 2013-23, according to the Expertscape ranking organisation. He had published research papers extensively with more than 70 in world-class medical journals with impact factors > 30. His work has not only uncovered vital information about the virus but is also at the forefront in developing cures. An HKUMed graduate, he began his research into hepatitis in the 1990s by focusing on the virology and natural history of the disease. He was the first in the world to develop a risk score for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of liver cancer, in patients with hepatitis B. He also did territorywide studies to show that hepatitis B infection in Hong Kong fell to 7.8 per cent this century from 10 per cent in the 1980s, following the introduction of hepatitis B vaccines. More importantly, in 2008 he and his team identified a target for treating patients by showing that loss of the surface antigen of the virus before the age of 50 gave patients a significantly lower chance of developing HCC. Such a loss occurs spontaneously in fewer than one per cent of patients. ‘All the new drug therapy research now is targeting ↑Ranked as the top one hepatitis B researcher in the world by Expertscape, Professor Yuen Man-fung started his research in this particular field in the 1990s, by focusing on the virology and natural history of the disease. FEATURE 14
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mzg4NDg0