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Professor YUEN Man Fung

Prof Prof Yuen

Deputy Department Chairperson
Chief of Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Master of Lap-Chee College, The University of Hong Kong
Li Shu Fan Medical Foundation Professor in Medicine
Chair of Gastroenterology and Hepatology

  • DSc, MD, PhD, MBBS, FRCP (Edin), FRCP (Glasg), FRCP (Lond), FHKCP, FHKAM(Med)
email mfyuen@hku.hk
email 2255-3994
email HKU Scholar Hub
Biography
Professor Yuen is now the Chair Professor of The University of Hong Kong and the Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong. He obtained his first bachelor’s degree of medicine in 1992. He further pursued his academic excellence through the achievement of obtaining three doctoral degrees including Doctor of Medicine with Sir Patrick Manson Gold Medal in 2001, Doctor of Philosophy in 2005 and Doctor of Science in 2017. Professor Yuen's research interests include prevention, natural history, serology, virology and treatment of chronic hepatitis B and C, and hepatocellular carcinoma. 

He is one of the top internationally renowned researchers in the field of hepatitis B disease. He has now published more than 560 papers in world-renowned medical journals including New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, Nature Medicine, Lancet Infectious Diseases and Lancet Oncology. According to the Expertscape online platform examining 25,130 publications during the period between 2013 and 2023, he is now ranked the top 1 researcher under the category of “hepatitis B” (https://www.expertscape.com/ex/hepatitis+b).

As a world-class clinician scientist, Professor Yuen is now leading most of the international trials examining new drugs including antiviral and immunomodulatory agents for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B. He is also actively performing cutting-edge research on novel markers for hepatitis B infection and occult hepatitis B infection. With all these international academic and professional achievements, Professor Yuen is an invited member serving as key opinion leader for several international coalition committees including the International Coalition to Eliminate HBV (ICE-HEP) and Coalition to Eradicate Viral Hepatitis in Asia Pacific (CEVHAP) on hepatitis B disease.
 

Selected Publications

Representative publications within 5 years from present

  1. Yuen MF, Asselah T, Jacobson IM, et al.Efficacy and safety of the siRNA JNJ-73763989 and/or the capsid assembly modulator JNJ-56136379 (Bersacapavir) with nucleos(t)ide analogues for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus infection: results from the phase 2b randomised REEF-1 study. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol 2023 (in press).
  2. Yuen MF, Lim SG, Plesniak R, et al. Efficacy and Safety of Bepirovirsen in Chronic Hepatitis B Infection. N Engl J Med 2022;387(21):1957-1968.
  3. Yuen MF, Balabanska R, Cottreel E, et al. TLR7 agonist RO7020531 versus placebo in healthy volunteers and patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection: a randomised, observer-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 1 trial. Lancet Infect Dis 2023;23(4):496-507.
  4. Yuen MF, Locarnini S, Lim TH, et al. Combination treatments including the small-interfering RNA JNJ-3989 induce rapid and sometimes prolonged viral responses in patients with CHB. J Hepatol 2022;77(5):1287-1298.
  5. Yuen MF, Agarwal K, Ma X, Nguyen TT, Schiff ER, Hann HL, et al. Safety and efficacy of vebicorvir in virologically suppressed patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection. J Hepatol 2022 77(3):642-652.
  6. Yuen MF, Wong DK, Schluep T, et al. Long-term serological, virological and histological responses to RNA inhibition by ARC-520 in Chinese chronic hepatitis B patients on entecavir treatment. Gut 2022;71(4):789-797.
  7. Yuen MF, Heo J, Jang JW, et al. Safety, tolerability and antiviral activity of the antisense oligonucleotide bepirovirsen in patients with chronic hepatitis B: a phase 2 randomized controlled trial. Nat Med 2021;27:1725-1734.
  8. Yuen MF, Zhou X, Gane E, et al. Safety, pharmacokinetics, and antiviral activity of RO7049389, a core protein allosteric modulator, in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection: a multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 1 trial. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol 2021;6:723-732.
  9. Yuen MF, Agarwal K, Gane EJ, et al. Safety, pharmacokinetics, and antiviral effects of ABI-H0731, a hepatitis B virus core inhibitor: a randomised, placebo-controlled phase 1 trial. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol 2020;5:152-166
  10. Yuen MF, Gane EJ, Kim DJ, et al. Antiviral Activity, Safety, and Pharmacokinetics of Capsid Assembly Modulator NVR 3-778 in Patients with Chronic HBV Infection. Gastroenterology 2019;156:1392-1403.
  11. Seto WK, Lo YR, Pawlotsky JM, Yuen MF. Chronic hepatitis B virus infection. Lancet 2018;392(10161):2313-2324.
  12. Yuen MF, Chen DS, Dusheiko GM, Janssen HLA, Lau DTY, Locarnini SA, Peters MG, Lai CL. Hepatitis B virus infection. Nat Rev Dis Primers 2018;4:18035.

 

Representative publications beyond 5 years from present

  1. Yuen MF, Fung J, Wong DK, Lai CL. Prevention and management of drug resistance for antihepatitis B treatment. Lancet Infect Dis 2009;9:256-64. 
  2. Yuen MF, Tanaka Y, Fong DY, et al. Independent risk factors and predictive score for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis B. J Hepatol 2009;50:80-8. 
  3. Yuen MF, Sablon E, Tanaka Y, et al. Epidemiological study of hepatitis B virus genotypes, core promoter and precore mutations of chronic hepatitis B infection in Hong Kong. J Hepatol 2004;41:119-25.
  4. Seto WK, Chan TS, Hwang YY, …, Yuen MF. Hepatitis B reactivation in patients with previous hepatitis B virus exposure undergoing rituximab-containing chemotherapy for lymphoma: a prospective study. J Clin Oncol 2014;32:3736-43. 
  5. Yuen MF, Wong DK, Fung J, et al. HBsAg Seroclearance in chronic hepatitis B in Asian patients: replicative level and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. Gastroenterology 2008;135:1192-9. 
     


Grant Record
  1. Clonal expansion of hepatocytes and state of hepatitis B virus DNA integration in patients with anti-viral therapy 2021 - 2023
    Amount awarded: HK $ 1,159,732
    From: General Research Fund (GRF), Research Grant Council, The Government of     HKSAR

  2. Roles of regulatory T cells and fibronectin in chronic hepatitis B disease with HBsAg seroclearance 2021 - 2022
    Amount awarded: HK $ 2,000,000
    From: Croucher Foundation

  3. Screening, enhancement of access to care and prioritization of treatment for chronic hepatitis C infection in high-risk populations in Hong Kong 2019 - 2021
    Amount awarded: US $ 321,690 (HK $2,509,182)
    From: Gilead Sciences

Esteem Measures
  1. Ranked the top 1 researcher under the category of “hepatitis B” (https://www.expertscape.com/ex/hepatitis+b): Expertscape online platform examining 25,130 publications during the period between 2013 and 2023
  2. Top researcher on hepatitis B featured in web in Nature Microbiology on World Hepatitis B Day 2017: https://naturemicrobiologycommunity.nature.com/channels/1162-world-hepatitis-day-2017/posts/18744-snapshot-man-fung-yuen
  3. Invited author-in-charge for review articles “Chronic hepatitis B virus infection” and “Hepatitis B virus infection” in two top journals in the field of general medicine: The Lancet and Nature Review Disease Primers in 2018

Key Offices

The Government of the Hong Kong SAR

  1. Member, Grant Review Board, Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF), The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, The People’s Republic of China
  2. Member, Steering Committee on Prevention and Control of Viral Hepatitis, Food and Health Bureau, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, The People’s Republic of China. 

The University of Hong Kong

  1. Member, Research Award Sub-committee, The University of Research Committee (URC), The University of Hong Kong.
  2. Member, Faculty Sub-committee for appointment of honorary senior teachers, The Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong.

Hospital Authority, Hong Kong

  1. Member, Renal Working Group for Infection Control Guidelines on Nephrology Services in Hong Kong
  2. Member, Cluster Research Governance Committee (CRGC), New Territories West Cluster (NTWC), Hospital Authority
  3. Chairman, Clinical Ethics & Professional Standard Committee, Hong Kong West Cluster, Hospital Authority
  4. Member, Hong Kong West Cluster CSP Steering Committee, Hospital Authority 
 

Hong Kong College of Physicians, Council Member

Hong Kong Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, Council member

 

Editorial Board Memberships
  1. Journal of Hepatology (also act as China Liaison Editor)
  2. Journal of Clinical and Translational Hepatology
  3. Infection Control Guidelines on Nephrology Services in Hong Kong’ under Central Renal Committee, HA and Infection Control Branch, Centre of Health Protection, Hospital Authority


Invited external reviewer for prestigious research grants
  1. Medical Research Council (MRC), Research Council, United Kingdom, 2017 & 2023 
  2. Health and Medical Research Fund, Food and Health Bureau, Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, The People’s Republic of China, 2023
  3. Clinician Scientist Award, National Medical Research Council, Ministry of Health, Singapore, 2022
  4. National Medical Research Council, Ministry of Health, Singapore, 2021
  5. Outstanding biomedical researchers, India Alliance is a partnership between The Wellcome Trust, UK and the Government of India 2020