Research Scope

An overview of research focus

Our research team is interested in childhood kidney conditions, focusing on nephrotic syndrome, lupus nephritis, kidney failure and onco-nephrology.

A list of research topics

• Use of innovative B-cell depleting strategies such as rituximab, obinutuzumab and daratumumab in childhood nephrotic syndrome

• Unravelling underlying disease pathogenesis of nephrotic syndrome via advanced technologies including CYTOF and spatial transcriptomics

• The use of anti-nephrin autoantibodies in childhood nephrotic syndrome

• Long term outcomes of nephrotic syndrome and lupus nephritis through Big-data analytics

• Natural history of nephrotic syndrome from childhood to adulthood

• Novel treatments in lupus nephritis including triple therapy, belimumab and anti-CD20

• Treatments of various paediatric glomerular diseases including IgA nephropathy, IgA vasculitis nephritis, etc.

• Sleep disorders in paediatric chronic kidney disease

• Innovative approaches in improving outcomes of maintenance dialysis, e.g. remote patient monitoring

• Short-term and Long-term kidney outcomes in various oncological conditions

Selected publications

1. Chan EYh, Yap DY, Tullus K et al. An international, multi-center study evaluated rituximab therapy in childhood steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome. Kidney Int. 2024 Oct 10:S0085-2538(24)00700-2. doi: 10.1016/j.kint.2024.09.011. Epub ahead of print. [IF=14.8]

2. Chan EY*, Yap HK, Tullus K et al. Long-Term Efficacy and Safety of Repeated Rituximab to Maintain Remission in Idiopathic Childhood Nephrotic Syndrome: An International Study. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2022 Jun;33(6):1193-1207. doi: 10.1681/ASN.2021111472. (IF 14.9)

3. Chan EY*, Webb H, Tullus K et al. Both the rituximab dose and maintenance immunosuppression in steroid-dependent/frequently-relapsing nephrotic syndrome have important effects on outcomes. Kidney Int. 2020 Feb;97(2):393-401. doi: 10.1016/j.kint.2019.09.033. (IF 19.6)

4. Chan EY*, Boyer O. Levamisole in childhood idiopathic nephrotic syndrome: new promises, and advocacy for global access. Kidney Int. 2024 May;105(5):932-934. doi: 10.1016/j.kint.2024.01.030. (IF 19.6)

5. Chan EY*, Yap DY, Ma AL et al. Renal relapse in children and adolescents with childhood-onset lupus nephritis: a 20-year study. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2023 Aug 26:kead447. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/kead447 (IF 7.04)

6. Chan EY*, Parekh R, Tullus K et al. The use of rituximab in childhood idiopathic nephrotic syndrome. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2023 Apr 1;18(4):533-548. doi: 10.2215/CJN.08570722. (IF 10.7)

7. Chan EY*, Leung D, Lau YL et al. Humoral and Cellular Immunogenicity and Safety of 3-Dose Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine in Young Children Less Than 5 Years With Kidney Diseases. Kidney Int Rep. 2023 Aug 19;8(10):2177-2179. doi: 10.1016/j.ekir.2023.08.012. (IF 5.7)

8. Chan EY*, Yap DYH, Ma AL et al. Long-term outcomes of children and adolescents with biopsy-proven childhood-onset lupus nephritis. Kidney International Reports, 2022. Kidney Int Rep. 2022 Oct 21;8(1):141-150. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ekir.2022. (IF 5.7)

9. Chan EY*, Ma AL, Yap DY et al. Long-term outcomes with rituximab as add-on therapy in severe childhood-onset lupus nephritis. Pediatr Nephrol. 2023 Jun 26. doi: 10.1007/s00467-023-06025-6. (IF 3.6)

10. Malakasioti G, Chan EY, Tullus K et al. A multicenter retrospective study of calcineurin inhibitors in nephrotic syndrome secondary to podocyte gene variants. Kidney Int. 2023 May;103(5):962-972. doi: 10.1016/j.kint.2023.02.022. (IF 19.6) (25 of 39 authors)

11. Ma AL, Leung D, Chan EY et al. Antibody responses to 2 doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in pediatric patients with kidney diseases. Kidney Int. 2022 May;101(5):1069-1072. (Impact factor 18.998) doi: 10.1016/j.kint.2022.01.035. (IF 19.6) (3 of 14 authors)

12. Marlais M, Chan EY, Tullus K et al. Clinical Factors and Adverse Kidney Outcomes in Children With ANCA-Associated Glomerulonephritis. Am J Kidney Dis. 2022 Jul 7:S0272-6386(22)00772-7. (IF 13.2) (15 out of 60 authors)

13. Borzych-Dużałka D, Chan EYH, Schaefer F, Warady BA et al. Best Practice of Peritoneal Dialysis-Associated Gram-Negative Peritonitis in Children: Insights from the International Pediatric Peritoneal Dialysis Network Registry. Kidney Int Rep. 2024 Mar 28;9(6):1654-1663. doi: 10.1016/j.ekir.2024.03.031. (IF 5.7)

14. Chan EY*, Borzych-Duzalka D, Warady et al. Colostomy in children on chronic peritoneal dialysis (A work from the International Pediatric Peritoneal Dialysis Network). Pediatr Nephrol. 2020 Jan;35(1):119-126. doi: 10.1007/s00467-019-04372-x. (IF 3.7)

Book chapters

1. Chan EYH*, Boyer O, K Tullus. Pediatric Glomerular Disease. Nephrology Self-assessment tool (NephSAP) 2024, an official educational material published by the American Society of Nephrology.

2. Chan EYH*, Ma ATL, Lai WM. Development of Paediatric Nephrology in Hong Kong for “Progress in Pediatrics in Guangdong”, 2023 edition.

3. Ma ATL, Chan EYH, Lai WM. End stage kidney disease in children. Integrated systemic nephrology, 4th edition. The University of Hong Kong

4. Chan EYH*, Warady BA. Acquired cystic kidney disease. Pediatric Dialysis Case Studies – A practical guide to patient care. Springer, 2017. ISBN 978-3-319-55147-0

Collaborative works / Commercial collaborations

We have established an international collaborative research network on nephrotic syndrome with more than 30 paediatric nephrology centres in Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania. This collaboration has led to very successful and impactful research works in the field. The network has now extended to other paediatric glomerular diseases including IgA nephropathy, IgA vasculitis nephritis, lupus nephritis, Good Pasture syndrome, and Takayasu arteritis.

We actively participate in a number of international registries including the International Pediatric Peritoneal Dialysis Network and International Pediatric Nephrology Association Kidney Replacement Therapy Registry.

We collaborate closely with adult nephrology colleagues, Prof. Desmond Yap and Prof. TM Chan, at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), to evaluate the long-term kidney outcomes in patients with childhood-onset nephrotic syndrome and lupus nephritis surviving into adulthood. We have also initiated our collaboration with adult nephrologists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Profs. Jack Ng and CC Szeto.

We collaborate with Prof. Brian Chung from the Hong Kong Genome Institute and Prof. Wan Ling Yang from HKU to investigate the pathogenesis of nephrotic syndrome through spatial transcriptomics on kidney biopsy tissue and bulk/ single-cell transcriptomics in the peripheral blood mononuclear cell, respectively.

We work closely with the renowned Big-data analytic team including Prof. Grace Wong and Prof. Terry Yip. Our projects include nephrotic syndrome, urinary tract infection and congenital anomalies of kidney and urinary tract. We also work with Prof. Christopher Lai in identifying risk factors and strategies for ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae.

We also collaborate with Prof. Yu Lung Lau from HKU to investigate the immunogenicity and safety of COVID-19 vaccine among children with chronic kidney disease and kidney failure.

  

Facilities available

Our nephrology ward in Hong Kong Children’s Hospital is the designated paediatric nephrology referral center in Hong Kong for complicated childhood kidney conditions and paediatric kidney replacement therapy. State-of-the-art research facilities are available in the Hong Kong Children’s Hospital, including flow cytometry (FACS &CYTOF), single-cell transcriptomics, etc.