Dr MAK Lung Yi, Loey

Dr Loey Mak

Clinical Assistant Professor

  • MBBS(HK), MD(HK), MRCP(UK), PDipID (HK), FHKCP, FHKAM (Medicine)
Biography
Dr Mak received her medical education at The University of Hong Kong. She obtained her qualification of the Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom in 2013 and the Postgraduate Diploma in Infectious Diseases by The Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of The University of Hong Kong in 2015. She completed her specialty training in Gastroenterology and Hepatology in year 2018 and Advanced Internal Medicine in year 2019 at Queen Mary Hospital.

Dr Mak’s research interests include clinical and translational research of liver diseases, especially in the field of chronic viral hepatitis, fibrosis assessment and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. She has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles in reputable journals, with >50 being first-authored/ co-first authored articles. Highlights include 3 first-authored or co-first authored original articles and 1 review article in Journal of Hepatology (impact factor 30.083), and 2 original articles in Hepatology (impact factor 17.298). She is appointed as Honorary Research Fellow of The Centre for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London since Jan 2022 to conduct research in the field of HBV immunology.

Dr Mak has received numerous academic awards, including the Dr Kate Cheng Memorial Prize for Postgraduate Diploma in Infectious Diseases, the Best Abstract in Clinical Medicine in the Medical Research Conference organized by The University of Hong Kong in 2017, 2019 and 2020, and 2021, the Young Investigators Award in the Asian Pacific Association of Gastroenterology 3rd Clinical Forum on Inflammatory Bowel Disease in 2018, and the travel award for the 7th Annual Meeting of Asian Organization of Crohn's & Colitis. She was also awarded the Faculty Knowledge Exchange Award by Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong in 2019. She won the Young Investigator’s Award in the 30th Conference of the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver, and the Distinguished Research Paper Award by the Hong Kong College of Physicians in year 2020. She is awarded with the Croucher Foundation Fellowship for 2021/2022. Her research paper was awarded with the Faculty Outstanding Research Output Award by The LKS Faculty of Medicine in year 2021 and the Lo Ying Shek Chi Wai Foundation Award for Young Investigator 2020-2021. She was awarded with the Young Investigator Bursary by the European Association for Study of the Liver in year 2021 and 2022.

Dr Mak is the principal investigator and co-investigator for numerous projects funded by externally-competitive grants. She is currently the honorary treasurer for The Hong Kong Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (HKASLD).

Selected publications
  1. Mak LY, Gane E, Schwabe C, Yoon KT, Heo J, Scott R, Lee JH, Lee JI, Kweon YO, Weltman M, Harrison SA, Neuschwander-Tetri B, Cusi K, Loomba R, Given B, Christianson D, Garcia-Medel E, Yi M, Martin JS, Hamilton J, Yuen MF. ARO-HSD, an RNA interference therapeutic for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis: a phase 1/ 2 study. J Hepatol 2022; in press.
  2. Mak LY, Hui RWH, Lee CH, Mao X, Cheung KS, Wong DKH, Lui DTW, Fung J, Yuen MF, Seto WK. Glycemic burden and the risk of adverse hepatic outcomes in chronic hepatitis B patients with type 2 diabetes. Hepatology 2022; in press
  3. Wong CKH*, Mak LY*, Au ICH, Lai FTT, Li X, Wan EYF, Chui CSL, Chan EWY, Cheng WY, Cheng FWT, Yuen MF, Wong ICK. No increase in risk of acute liver injury following the mRNA (BNT162b2) and inactivated (CoronaVac) COVID-19 vaccines: A self-controlled case series study. J Hepatology 2022; in press (*Co-first authors)
  4. Mak LY, Cheung KS, Hui RWH, Wong DKH, Fung J, Seto WK, Yuen MF. Enhanced liver fibrosis score stratifies hepatocellular carcinoma risk in patients with hepatitis B surface antigen seroclearance. Clin Infect Dis 2022; 75: 2257-2259.
  5. Mak LY, Hui RWH, Fung J, Liu F, Wong DKH, Li B, Cheung KS, Yuen MF, Seto WK. Reduced hepatic steatosis is associated with higher risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis B infection. Hepatol Int. 2021; 15:901-911.
  6. Mak LY, Cloherty G, Wong DKH, Gersch J, Seto WK, Fung J, Yuen MF. HBV RNA profiles in chronic hepatitis B patients under different disease phases and anti-viral therapy. Hepatology 2021; 73:2169-2179.
  7. Mak LY, Yuen MF, Seto WK. Letter regarding “A new definition for metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease: An international expert consensus statement”. J Hepatol 2020; 73:1573-1574.
  8. Mak LY, Wong DKH, Pollicino T, Raimondo G, Hollinger FB, Yuen MF. Occult hepatitis B infection and hepatocellular carcinoma: epidemiology, virology, hepatocarcinogenesis and clinical significance. J Hepatol 2020; 73:952-64.
  9. Mak LY, Hui RWH, Fung J, et al. Diverse effects of hepatic steatosis on fibrosis progression and functional cure in virologically quiescent chronic hepatitis B. J Hepatol 2020; 73:800-806.
  10. Mak LY, Wong DK, Cheung KS, Seto WK, Lai CL, Yuen MF. Hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg): an emerging marker for chronic hepatitis B virus infection. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2017; 47:43-54.

Grant Record
  • Health and Medical Research Fund: Regression of liver fibrosis after HBsAg loss: a prospective matched case-control evaluation using transient elastography and serum Enhanced Liver Fibrosis (ELF) test
  • Health and Medical Research Fund: Effectiveness of a smartphone app in promoting weight loss in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a pilot multi-centre randomized controlled trial
  • Innovation and Technology Fund – Partnership Research Programme (PRP): Frequency-difference electrical impedance tomography (fdEIT) detection and characterization of fatty liver disease
  • The Li Shu Pui Medical Foundation Research Grant: Detection of hepatic graft steatosis and fibrosis after transplantation using MRI-PDFF and MRE techniques
  • Gilead Sciences research grant for investigator-initiated research for CHIME: Screening, enhancement of access to care and prioritization of treatment for chronic hepatitis C infection in high-risk populations in Hong Kong (co-PI with Prof. MF Yuen)
  • State Key Laboratory of Liver Research (The University of Hong Kong) Young Researcher Support Scheme 2020: Stopping antiviral treatment and subsequent flare in chronic hepatitis B infection: immunological and virological profiling
  • State Key Laboratory of Liver Research (The University of Hong Kong) Young Researcher Support Scheme 2022: Investigation of the Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) in exploration of tissue conductivity for focal liver lesions

Key Office
  • Honorary Treasurer, The Hong Kong Association for Study of Liver Disease
  • Associate Member, State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong
  • Editorial Board (Review editor), Frontiers in Microbiology; section on Virology
  • Editorial Board, Hepatology Communications (Basic Science)y