SHENZHEN -- A liver disease research institute was established in Shenzhen on Mar 27, integrating research resources in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, said the city's health commission.

This institute is affiliated to the Guangdong Provincial Institute of Liver Disease, which was established on Sept. 3, 2018, at Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province.

The Shenzhen institute aims to carry out comprehensive clinical diagnosis, treatment and scientific research of liver diseases, improve the diagnosis and treatment, establish an information resource bank and sample library of common liver diseases, and carry out innovative research on the diagnosis and treatment of liver diseases.

Statistics from the World Health Organization show that nearly 55 percent of the world-wide patients with liver cancer came from China in 2012. There were 3 million hepatitis B patients in Guangdong and the positive rate of HBsAg stood at 6.8 percent among Shenzhen residents.

A diagnosis and treatment system, including a liver cirrhosis follow-up study, will also be set up in Shenzhen to integrate scientific research resources in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.