Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Thursday, Apr 18, 2024

Chinese science award recognises Hong Kong team’s liver disease work

Chinese science award recognises Hong Kong team’s liver disease work

Chinese University of Hong Kong medical researchers have shed light on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and its related cancer.

A Chinese University of Hong Kong medical research team’s breakthrough research into non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and its related cancer, which kills 700,000 people a year worldwide, has been recognised with a top science accolade in China.

The team received the second-class prize of the State Natural Science Award, China’s most prestigious award in the field, on Wednesday after 18 years of research on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is caused by excessive fat accumulation in the organ. It affects 15 to 40 per cent of the world’s population and is the most common chronic liver disease in the world, according to the university.

The team’s research shed light on the key mechanism, therapeutic targets, non-invasive diagnosis and natural history of the disease.


NAFLD comprises a wide spectrum of liver diseases, including simple steatosis and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which can progress to liver fibrosis and eventually to hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common form of liver cancer that accounts for 90 per cent of cases.

NAFLD was found in about 30 per cent of China’s adult population, according to a study by a different team published in the peer-reviewed journal Hepatology International in March last year.

“The highest prevalences were found among regions with higher income, north China, the non-Han ethnic minorities, diabetics, and the obese,” the study said.

Led by Yu Jun, a professor at the department of medicine and therapeutics and the associate director of State Key Laboratory of digestive disease at CUHK, the team was the first to reveal the mechanism behind the disease’s progression to cancer and to find an effective drug against the cancer.

They discovered multiple effective treatments for NASH and found that a Chinese medicine commonly called leafflower, known as Phyllanthus urinaria or in Chinese as yexiazhu , could prevent its progression.

Professor Yu Jun.


They also identified that diabetic patients were at higher risk of developing NAFLD, and that it was a risk factor for coronary heart disease, while excessive intake of cholesterol could bring on cancer development.

The team has published nearly 200 studies and their findings have been featured in 14 internationally renowned prevention and treatment guidelines for the disease.

The university said their findings allowed for solid steps towards overcoming NAFLD in the future.

The team was among 15 research projects nominated by the Education Bureau in Hong Kong in the Second Prize of the State Natural Science Award 2020, organised by the State Council to recognise academic excellence in natural science research.

A team led by a professor in civil and environmental engineering at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology was also awarded a second-class honour for its contribution to reducing construction accidents and natural disasters caused by unsaturated soils.

Professor Charles Ng Wang-wai Ng’s team at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has been recognised for its work in unsaturated soils.


Construction activities and climate change govern the moisture content and stress level of unsaturated soil, so it was important to understand properties of seepage, deformation and strength to prevent construction accidents such as slope and embankment failures, according to the university.

The team, led by chair professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering Charles Ng Wang-wai, has been researching unsaturated soil since 1995. Their research aids the safer construction of infrastructure and helps overcome challenges brought about by climate change.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew member, passenger get into row over airline meal
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
BMW driver…
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
×