Hong Kong and Shanghai Brain Consortium (HSBC) is a consortium led by the brain tumor researchers at Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai and Chinese University of Hong Kong. It is not a structural centre or a society. Rather, it is a network combining the strengths of Hong Kong and Shanghai brain tumor researchers to combat this terrible group of diseases. It is also a platform for data sharing among all researchers on the globe and for us to reach out to researchers in neuro-oncology internationally. See under DATASETS.
Huashan Hospital, Fudan University and Chinese University of Hong Kong have a long history of collaborative research on brain tumors. This reflects the long history of co-operation and simultaneous growth of both cities. Fudan University ranks 34th and Chinese University of Hong Kong 43rd in the world (QS ranking 2020).
The Neurosurgical Institute at Huashan Hospital is the premier neurosurgical centre in China and carries out annual resection of about 9,000 brain tumors of all kinds and from all ages. See Mao Y et al. World Neurosurgery 2011 (PMID 21600467 ) and Wang C et al. Neurosurgery 2008 (PMID 18496201 ). It hosts a biobank of international standard of about 3,000 gliomas, see Shi Z et al. Biopreserv Biobank 2015 (PMID 25686045 ) and Aibaidula et al. Cell Tissue Bank 2015 (PMID 24929994 ). Brain tumor research at Chinese University of Hong Kong has been led by H K Ng who is an Expert Panel Member of the WHO Classifications of 2007, 2016 and 2021.
We hold international conferences as well as molecular pathology workshops to foster international networkworking and collaboration.
Ying Mao and Peter Shi are neurosurgeons and Ying Mao is President of Huashan Hospital. H K Ng is an internationally well known pathologist. We welcome collaboration with all specialties, clinical and laboratory, from around the world. Naturally we can collaborate better in some areas and not as well in others. But please do contact us anytime ( hkng@cuhk.edu.hk ).
Brain tumor is a very heterogenous group of tumors. Unlike other common cancers, it is at least 20-30 tumors even for the common types. The complete list of brain tumors as outlined by World Health Organization 2016 is much longer.
Brain tumor is an extremely deadly tumor. The commonest adult brain tumor, glioblastoma, is almost universally fatal and has a median survival of only 14-16 months even with the standard-of-care treatment. This is much worse than other common cancers nowadays. And in spite of enormous understanding of the biology of glioblastoma, there has been relatively little progress in terms of prolonging patient survival, not to mention cure.
Brain tumor is also the commonest solid cancer in children. Like many pediatric cancers, great strides were made in the treatment but survival improvement has stalled in the last thirty years. Yet there have been great advances in the understanding of the biology of medulloblastomas and other pediatric brain tumors.
Pediatric brain tumors are also unusual in that there are many small groups of rare tumors that even the best centres in the world do not have enough cases for good studies. So collaboration is a must to study these rare pediatric brain cancers. In Asia, germ cell tumor is also well known to be much commoner than in the west.
Meningiomas are another group of common brain tumor. Meningiomas do not usually cause death shortly but 5-10% of cases, in spite of the best surgical operations, will recur and multiple recurrences eventually cause great morbidity or death. There is no standard-of-care chemotherapy regimen for meningiomas.
The group of researchers of HSBC working in Shanghai and Hong Kong have great passion in helping patients with this group of terrible diseases. While we may not be publishing in Science or Nature, we do excellent research work comparable to many good international clinical centres. We have clinical and laboratory infrastructures comparing to many international clinical centres too. See click here click here
While the researchers of HSBC have their own national grants, we work closely with charities and industries who play very important roles in combating this group of diseases. If you are interested in sponsoring our work, please write us anytime ( hkng@cuhk.edu.hk ).
MEMBERS
CONFERENCES & WORKSHOPS
Number of registrants outside mainland China : 840
Approximately an equal number in mainland China run on a different internet
Number of registrants outside mainland China : 619
Approximately an equal number in mainland China, run on a different internet
Number of registrants outside mainland China : 384
Number of attendees inside mainland China: 1,780
SPEAKERS
David Ellison, Memphis, USA
Alfred Lam, Gold Coast, Australia
H.K. Ng, Hong Kong, China
Arie Perry, San Francisco, USA
Tom Robertson, Brisbane, Australia
Peter Shi, Shanghai, China
SPEAKERS
Dan Brat, Chicago
Godfrey Chan, Hong Kong
Cynthia Hawkins, Toronto
Ying Mao, Shanghai
H K Ng, Hong Kong
Peter Zhifeng SHI
Peter is a medical graduate of Shanghai Medical College and completed the residency training in neurosurgery at Huashan under the direct supervision of Academician Zhou Liang-fu. His indepth study of brain tumour pathology research with Professor H.K. Ng of The Chinese University of Hong Kong has started him on a productive path of glioma work. He has carried out Radiomics study in glioma with developing several noninvasive methods predicting molecular biomarkers based on MRI images. He has also worked on advanced biomaterials compatible for neurosurgical implant medical devices. His hard work has resulted in high citation publications in Radiology, Cell Research and Nature Communications. His research is well supported by the Shanghai City Government, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and the Chinese 973 Projects.Guidelines for reimbursement for travel expense for invited speakers for HSBC conferences
Speaker will be reimbursed for travel schedule and price which have been previously agreed upon between HSBC and the speaker. In general, the guidelines for travel will be similar to those applicable within the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The speaker should buy the air tickets himself/herself after discussion with the Secretariat. The cost will be reimbursed by HSBC into an account designated by the speaker after the conference. So please present to the Secretariat of HSBC the receipts for the air tickets as soon as possible after the conference. Only official receipts will be processed.
Speakers are advised to purchase the tickets well in time due to potential escalating prices closer to the time. Air tickets must be issued at the very latest six weeks in advance of the conference. Air tickets which are bought later than the date will be reimbursed according to the quotation our official travel agent gives for that ticket at the price available six weeks before the conference.
Please discuss with the Secretariat for potential multi-leg journey for the speaker’s other commitments well in advance. There may be needs to split costs.
Please discuss with the Secretariat for refunds for travel expense between home and home airport.
Receipts for taxi fares between Hong Kong airport / Uber and the conference venue should be presented to Conference Secretariat, on site or afterwards.
Once ticket is issued, cancellation charges will not be reimbursed. Alteration charges to schedules once tickets are issued will not be reimbursed.
Hotel accommodation will be arranged and paid for by the Secretariat of HSBC similar to all other speakers and there is no need for the speaker to book his/her own hotel. If the speaker wants to stay in another hotel, that will be to his / her own cost.
Hotel accommodation covers the room (up to two people) and breakfasts. Other expenses are not covered.
We will provide complimentary hotel room for speakers for up to four nights (ie one more night for a two-day conference). Single or double room can be booked with the conference secretariat with complimentary breakfast for spouse. Please discuss extension of stay beyond four nights, at the speaker’s own cost, with the Secretariat well in advance, if needed.
If there is any question, please feel free to contact Ms Yan Lui, Executive Officer, Department of Anatomical & Cellular Pathology, Chinese University of Hong Kong (sinyanlui@cuhk.edu.hk).
