The annual Leading Investigators’ Forum on Infectious and Liver Diseases (LIFILD), organized by Professor Zhang Wenhong, is the most influential academic ceremony in the field of infectious and liver diseases in China. Every year, the teams with the most influential academic achievements in the academic field and major original breakthroughs in scientific research or clinical work were selected and invited to attend the forum for academic exchanges.

Professor Zhao Yingren and Professor He Yingli from the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University (XJTU) have been long-term devoted to the treatment of patients with refractory chronic renal failure complicated with hepatitis C infection, conducted an observational cohort study and delivered follow-up for more than 4 years. All patients were cured with high short-term and long-term safety. The teams have been invited to attend the conferences of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) and the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL) for academic exchanges. Besides, the teams also published three articles (representative article published in Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, IF=7.8). The research outcomes obtained by the teams led by Professor Zhao Yingren and Professor He Yingli captivated the attention from Professor Zhang Wenhong, and the teams were specially invited to deliver presentations at the LIFILD.

On January 9, 2021, Dr. Yan Taotao delivered a speech at the LIFILD on behalf of the team, reporting the team's research results that patients with chronic renal failure complicated with HCV infection showed high long-term virological and biochemical response rates after treatment, and no virological recurrence occurred during the 4-year observational follow-up. Consequently, hepatitis C-related treatment should be actively carried out for these patients, which is of significance for reducing the risk of hepatitis C-related cirrhosis and liver cancer.