慢性丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）感染是美国肝硬化和肝细胞肝癌（HCC）发生的主要原因，并且正在成为中国肝病死亡的重要原因。虽然慢性HCV感染并不总是导致肝硬化或HCC，但据估计，20％的慢性HCV感染者会进展为肝硬化。两所大学曾分别对丙型肝炎进行了广泛的研究，这项关于丙型肝炎的合作旨在确定能够预测从慢性HCV感染到肝硬化和HCC的遗传标志物，并确定和验证患者肝纤维化和早期HCC诊断的血液标志物。该研究在密西根大学医学院和北京大学医学部同步进行，采用相同的研究方案，从而比较来自两个不同人群的与疾病进展相关的遗传和环境因素。从该研究中收集的数据将有助于更深入地了解慢性HCV感染以及疾病不同阶段的可能治疗方案。

• 从百时美施贵宝公司的全球发展和医疗事务部协作科学研究和运营部门获得140万美元课题资助经费，用于该国际合作HCV研究直至2019年。
• 由Anna Lok教授和魏来教授指导的学员:
  • 11名密西根大学医学院 M1学生在北京大学医学部接受了为期8周的暑期研究项目培训。
  • 4名密西根大学医学院住院医生在北京大学医学部完成了为期一个月的临床轮换。
  • 来自北京大学医学部的杨明博士获得了Forgarty奖学金，在密西根大学医学院进行了为期11个月的研究培训。

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2. Wei L, Lok AS. (2014) Impact of new hepatitis C treatments in different regions of the world. Gastroenterology. 2014; 146(5):1145-50.
3. Wu E, Chen X, Guan Z, …Wei L, Lok AS. (2015) A comparative study of patients’ knowledge about hepatitis C in the United States and in urban and rural China. Hepatol Int. 2015; 9: 58-66.
4. Huiying Rao, Elizabeth Wu, Sherry Fu, Ming Yang, Bo Feng, Andy Lin, Ran Fei, Robert J. Fontana, Anna S. F. Lok, Lai Wei. The higher prevalence of truncal obesity and diabetes in American than Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis C might contribute to more rapid progression to advanced liver disease. Aliment Pharmacol Ther, 2017, 46(8):731-740.
5. Elizabeth Wu, Ming Yang, Huiying Rao, Sherry Fu, Bo Feng, Ran Fei, Andy Lin, Robert J. Fontana, Lai Wei, Anna S. Lok. Temporal changes in the modes of hepatitis C virus transmission in the USA and Northern China. Dig Dis Sci. 2017, 62(8):2141-2149.
6. Neehar D. Parikh, Sherry Fu, Huiying Rao, Ming Yang, Yumeng Li, Corey Powell, Elizabeth Wu, Andy Lin, Baocai Xing, Lai Wei, Anna S. F. Lok. Risk Assessment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients with Hepatitis C in China and the USA. Dig Dis Sci, 2017, 62(11): 3243-3253
7. Ming Yang, Huiying Rao, Bo Feng, Elizabeth Wu, Lai Wei, Anna S. Lok. Patient Education Improves Patient Knowledge and Acceptance on Antiviral Therapy of Hepatitis C in Rural China. Chin Med J, 2017, 130(22):2750-2751.
8. Ming Yang, Elizabeth Wu, Huiying Rao, Fanny H. Du, Angela Xie, Shanna Cheng, Cassandra Rodd, Andy Lin, Lai Wei, Anna S. Lok. A Comparative Study of Liver Disease Care in the USA and Urban and Rural China. Dig Dis Sci, 2016, 61(10):2847-2856.
9. Jiaxin Huang, Mary L. Guan, Jeremy Balch, Elizabeth Wu, Huiying Rao, Andy Lin, Lai Wei, Anna S. Lok. Survey of hepatitis B knowledge and stigma among chronically infected patients and uninfected persons in Beijing, China. Liver Int, 2016, 36(11):1595-1603.
10. Elizabeth Wu, Tianyi Wang, Tammy Lin, Xisui Chen, Zhe Guan, Claudia Cao, Huiying Rao, Ming Yang, Bo Feng, Sandra Pui, Melvin Chan, Sherry Fu, Andy Lin, Lai Wei, Anna S. Lok. A comparative study of patients' attitudes toward clinical research in the United States and urban and rural China. Clin Transl Sci, 2015, 8(2):123-131.
11. Huiying Rao, Degui Sun, Ruifeng Yang, Feng Liu, Jian Wang, Bo Feng, Nan Wu, Jilian Fang, Guangjun Song, Hui Ma, Fang Guo, Jianghua Wang, Xiaobo Li, Qian Jin, Hong Qin, Hui Zhuang, Lai Wei. The outcome of hepatitis C virus infection in Chinese paid plasma donors: a 12-19-year cohort study. J Gastroenterol Hepatol, 2012, 27(3):526-532.