Recently, the Academic Conference of the Abdominal Surgery Group of the Pediatric Surgery Branch of the Chinese Medical Association was held in Guangzhou. Assistant Professor Yan Chen, Assistant Director of the Precision Regenerative Medicine Research Centre (PRMRC) at Macau University of Science and Technology, Assistant Professor Bo Li, and team members attended the conference and engaged in academic exchanges with experts in pediatric surgery from across China. The discussions focused on biliary atresia, liver fibrosis, pediatric intestinal diseases, and translational medicine.
Assistant Professor Bo Li exchanges ideas with pediatric surgeons from Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University
The conference focused on clinical and research advances in pediatric abdominal surgery, with dedicated sessions covering hepatosplenic diseases, portal hypertension and pancreatic diseases, biliary diseases, biliary atresia, Hirschsprung disease, anorectal malformations, and rare anorectal and abdominal surgical conditions. Pediatric surgeons and researchers from children’s hospitals, general hospitals, and university-affiliated hospitals across China shared recent progress in clinical management, surgical innovation, clinical research, and translational studies.
During the conference, Yingying He, a student supervised by Assistant Professor Bo Li, delivered an oral presentation entitled “Cholestatic Injury-Induced Intestinal Fibrosis and Epithelial Dysfunction May Contribute to Post-Kasai Cholangitis in Biliary Atresia.” The presentation introduced the team’s recent findings on mechanisms related to post-Kasai cholangitis, intestinal fibrosis, and epithelial dysfunction in biliary atresia. This study provides new insights into the pathogenesis of postoperative complications in biliary atresia from the perspective of liver-intestine interaction and tissue injury repair.
Yingying He, a student supervised by Assistant Professor Bo Li, delivers an oral presentation
Assistant Professor Yan Chen was invited to chair a session on biliary atresia, where he joined participating experts in discussions on the diagnosis and treatment of biliary atresia, immunopathological mechanisms, organoid research, post-Kasai management, and clinical translation. Assistant Professor Bo Li also exchanged views with experts on biliary atresia, liver fibrosis, pediatric intestinal diseases, tissue injury repair, and potential collaborations involving clinical samples and translational research.
Assistant Professor Yan Chen chairs a session on biliary atresia
Following the conference, Assistant Professor Bo Li and colleagues visited Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University for further academic exchange. They met with Professor Kai Wu and his pediatric surgery team to discuss potential collaborations in pediatric intestinal diseases, necrotizing enterocolitis, tissue injury repair, and translational medicine. Both sides exchanged views on future cooperation in clinical sample resources, disease models, research grant applications, and talent exchange, laying a foundation for PRMRC to further expand its pediatric medicine collaboration network in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
This participation further strengthened the connection between PRMRC and leading pediatric surgery experts and clinical centers in China. It also reflected the Centre’s continued development in biliary atresia, liver fibrosis, pediatric intestinal diseases, tissue injury repair, and translational medicine. Moving forward, PRMRC will continue to leverage its research platforms to promote close integration between basic research and clinical needs, strengthen collaboration with leading pediatric medical centers, and advance mechanistic and translational research in pediatric surgical diseases.
