On June 2, the First Affiliated Hospital of School of Medicine Zhejiang University and University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center signed an agreement to set up a joint liver center. The agreement-signing ceremony marks the establishment of a world-class liver health and research center at Zhejiang University. Deshui Jin, Party Secretary of Zhejiang University and Deputy Director of People's Congress Standing Committee of Zhejiang Province, Jiwei Zheng, Vice Governor of Zhejiang Province, Rosenthal, the Chief Medical Officer of UCLA, Busa Mohamad, Chairman Department of Surgery and Director of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Jing Yang, Director of Zhejiang Provincial Health Department, and Shusen Zheng, academician of China National Academy of Engineering and President of the First Affiliated Hospital of School of Medicine Zhejiang University attended the inaugural ceremony, and jointly launch a crystal ball to start the center.

Liver disease is a serious hazard to human health with a huge number of victims worldwide. Great achievements have been made by the First Affiliated Hospital of School of Medicine Zhejiang University and UCLA Medical Center in liver transplantation, diagnosis and treatment of hepatobiliary and pancreatic disease, treatment of severe hepatitis and liver failure, artificial liver, micro-ecology of liver disease and so on. The liver transplantation team directed by Shusen Zheng has successfully handled about one thousand cases in this field, with a survival rate of 95.2% in one year. Liver transplantation center at UCLA is one of the largest liver transplant centers in the world, the number of liver transplants performed being over 5,000 and they have trained hundreds of liver disease and liver transplant specialist for Germany, Britain, Japan and other developed countries.The two liver transplant centers have been cooperating with each other in academy exchange and investigation since 2005. The combination of the two strengths across the ocean will be a hope for the solution of liver problems.

It is informed that the cooperation of the two sides is different from the past way of just accepting foreign medical assistance. They will build a world-class liver center basing on the academic achievements and existing technology platform. After the establishment of the center, both sides will corporate in clinical, research, teaching and other fields, focusing on international hot issues and research directions.

Deshui Jin expressed his congratulations to the establishment of the center. He said the center jointly built by China and USA would lead the liver disease research in the world. He hoped the two sides could build a high-class international center, pursuit constant excellence during the corporation, and make greater contribution for the health care of China and the world.

On the ceremony, UCLA Vice Chancellor Washington congratulated the establishment of the center via video. And the experts from both sides shared opinions on two complex cases with remote video system.

The ceremony was hosted by Zichen Chen, deputy secretary of Zhejiang University. Officers from Zhejiang Provincial Foreign Affairs Office, Science and Technology Department and other relevant departments and many medical colleagues and experts also attended the meeting.