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Professor YUEN Man Fung J.P.

Prof Prof Yuen

Deputy Department Chairperson
Chief of Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Deputy Director of State Key Laboratory of Liver Research
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 Li Shu Fan Medical Foundation Professor in Medicine, 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 630 papers in world-renowned medical journals including New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, Nature Medicine, Lancet Infectious Diseases and Lancet Oncology. He has delivered more than 360 lectures all over the world.

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. He is also serving as a member of Asia Pacific (APAC) Liver Disease Alliance and a member of Advisory Council of The Hepatitis Fund of a Swiss-based foundation.

Selected Publications

Representative first-author publications within 5 years from present

  1. Yuen MF, Lim YS, Yoon KT, et al. VIR-2218 (elebsiran) plus pegylated interferon-alfa-2a in participants with chronic hepatitis B virus infection: a phase 2 study. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol 2024;9(12):1121-1132.
  2. 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;8(9):790-802.
  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, 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
     

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. 
     


Representative Grants

  • Principal Investigators: 3 General Research Fund (GRF - RGC) and 1 Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF) (Food and Health Bureau, HKSAR)
  • Senior Investigators: 3 GRF - RGC, 1 Innovation and Technology Fund and 10 HMRF


Intellectual Property Rights Owned

Granted Patents and Patent Applications: 5 Provisional filing to US Patent and Trademark Office (April 2020, March 2021, July 2021, July 2021, April 2021)


Esteem Measures

Selected Honors and Service:

  • Ten Outstanding Young Persons of HK (2007)
  • Fellows of Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (2006), London (2007) and Glasgow (2008)
  • Members of Asia Pacific Liver Disease Alliance (2023)
  • The Hepatitis Fund Advisory Council - Swiss-based foundation (2024)
  • Top World Expert for Hepatitis B in the world (2024)
  • The 14th World Top Scholar in “hepatitis” prior five years (2024)

Selected Research-Related Prizes and Awards:

  • The first JGH Emerging Leader Lectureship Award - 4 major Asian Pacific Associations of Gastroenterology (2006)
  • Young Scientist Award - ASAIHL-Scopus (2008)
  • Outstanding Researcher Award – HKU (2010)
  • Distinguished Young Fellow Award - HK Academy of Medicine (2018)
  • Croucher Senior Medical Research Fellowship – Croucher Foundation (2020)

Key Offices

The Government of the Hong Kong SAR

  1. Justices of the Peace, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, The People’s Republic of China
  2. 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
  3. 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, University Selection and Promotion Committee (USPC), The University of Hong Kong. 

Hospital Authority, Hong Kong

  1. Chairman, Clinical Ethics & Professional Standard Committee, Hong Kong West Cluster, Hospital Authority
  2. Member, Hong Kong West Cluster CSP Steering Committee, Hospital Authority   
Hong Kong Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, Council member

Hong Kong Liver Foundation, Council member & Chairman of Research committee & Co-chairman of community service program committee

The Incorporated Management Committee (IMC) of Carmel Pak U Secondary School, Board member

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