The 11th Joint Conference of the University of Chicago and PUMCH Liver Surgery Explores New Frontiers in Treatment

Peking Union Medical College Hospital

No.1 Shuaifuyuan Wangfujing Dongcheng District, Beijing,China

The 11th Joint Conference on Liver Surgery, co-hosted by the University of Chicago and Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH), was held in Beijing on September 5-6, 2025. Organized in collaboration with AME Publishing Company, this year’s conference focused on cutting-edge developments in hepatobiliary surgery and liver transplantation. The two-day event convened a distinguished group of international experts to discuss topics including liver transplantation, cell therapy, robotic surgery, artificial intelligence, and comprehensive liver cancer treatment. The event attracted over 80 in-person participants and 17,600 online attendees.

This year’s meeting was particularly significant as it marked the 10th anniversary of China’s ban on using organs from executed prisoners. According to the conference introduction, previous meetings highlighted milestones leading to this policy, such as the establishment of modern transplant ethics, pilot programs for deceased donation, and the creation of national transplant databases. These initiatives strengthened China’s deceased organ donation system, enabling the successful implementation of the ban.

The conference was welcomed by its three organizers—Professor Shunda Du of PUMCH, and Professors J. Michael Millis and Yilei Mao of the University of Chicago and PUMCH—who emphasized the growth of the conference in both scale and academic quality over the years. The event has consistently hosted leading speakers and addressed topics with broad clinical impact.

The program brought together the five key focus areas of the conference in a series of integrated sessions. Liver transplantation discussions addressed global trends, ethical considerations, and financial challenges. Advances in surgical technology highlighted laparoscopic procedures, 5G-enabled remote robotic surgery, and complex robotic hepatectomy. The growing role of artificial intelligence in medicine was explored, particularly its integration with genomics for cancer diagnostics and its application in hepatobiliary-pancreatic surgery. Cell-based therapies, including CAR-T treatments for liver cancer and other solid tumors, were also featured. Finally, comprehensive cancer care was discussed through regional approaches to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) conversion therapy, sharing practical strategies and clinical experiences.

The conference fostered an atmosphere of interdisciplinary exchange and open dialogue, reflecting a broader shift in surgical practice and medical research toward methodological innovation, critical reflection, and patient-centered inquiry. As a platform for global academic dialogue, the University of Chicago Center in Beijing continues to play a vital role in advancing cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary scholarship.