Professor Yuen Man-Fung
Gastroenterology and Hepatology Expert
Getting Rid of Lifetime Medications via Pioneering Research
Approximately 300 million individuals worldwide are bearing the burden of hepatitis B, with over 50% of them are in Asia. To reduce the risk of infection in younger generations, Hong Kong has started vaccinating newborns against hepatitis B since 1988. However, there are still over 530,000 individuals grappling with this pervasive disease. Professor Yuen Man-Fung, Deputy Chairperson of HKU Department of Medicine and Chair Professor and Chief of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, is committed to developing new drugs for achieving “functional cure” of hepatitis B through clinical research, in anticipation of reducing patients’ risk of progressing to severe liver diseases and even allowing them to discontinue from long-term medications.
Determined to Combat Hepatitis B
“Many people don't know that they are carriers of the virus, because they have no symptom and would not go for examinations. However, the continuing cycles of inflammation and regeneration in their livers may lead to liver fibrosis. If not properly treated, some patients may even develop into liver cirrhosis and/or liver cancer.” Considering the heavy impact of hepatitis B to the healthcare system and the society, Professor Yuen determined to dedicate himself to research on hepatitis B following his graduation from the medical school, aiming at intercepting the virus in patients’ early stage of infection by employing pharmaceutical interventions and avoiding irreversible damage to patients’ liver functions.
Reactivating Patients’ Immune Systems
Despite the significant efficacy of the current oral drugs in suppressing the virus, life-long medication is still necessary for controlling the virus’ activity and to prevent worsening disease and transmission to others. Remarkable breakthroughs have emerged from the recent research conducted by Professor Yuen’s team. Some patients achieved extremely low levels of hepatitis B surface antigen and with their immune systems reactivated to combat the virus, realized “functional cure”. Professor Yuen recalled the surprise and disbelief on those patients’ faces when they learned that long-term medication was no longer needed.
Patient-Doctor Partnership in Research
“The entire medical field is striving towards “functional cures”. I trust we will get closer and closer to this goal in the next 10 to 15 years.” Professor Yuen further pointed out: “A profound trust exists between Hong Kong patients and doctors. With detailed and clear explanations on the research objectives and the anticipated efficacy and potential side effects of investigational drugs, a lot of patients are very willingly to participate in clinical trials. The remarkable patient-doctor partnership has put Hong Kong in a world-leading position in hepatitis B research.” Professor Yuen is ranked by Expertscape of the US as the top physician-scientist in hepatitis B research based on his scientific publications over the past 10 years (2013-2023).
Striving Together for Tomorrow
Professor Yuen has been collaborating on clinical trials most frequently with HKU-CTC over the years. HKU-CTC provides professional support in different areas such as project management, contract and financial management, and liaison with stakeholders, enabling researchers to focus on their research works. “Researchers, pharmaceutical companies and HKU-CTC work together and perform their respective professional duties.” Using his best medical expertise and endeavours over the years, Professor Yuen has witnessed the innovation of many new and more effective medicines through his contributions as principal investigator to more than 80 hepatitis B clinical studies. He firmly believes that in the foreseeable future, Hong Kong, China, and even the Asian region will attain a low transmission rate of hepatitis B, achieving the goal of “Eliminating Hepatitis” although it may take some more years later than 2030 as anticipated by the World Health Organization.