East Asia Liver Alliance

ANNUAL MEETING

East Asia Liver AllianceEALA 2026

INVITATION from KASL

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 3rd EALA Symposium and the 2nd Rising Star Bootcamp, to be held from June 13 (Sat) to 14 (Sun), 2026, in Seoul, Korea.

Following the successful 1st EALA Symposium in Kumamoto and the 2nd in Taipei, we are deeply honored to host this third gathering in Seoul. This year’s meeting will be held in conjunction with The Liver Week 2026, a multidisciplinary annual meeting jointly organized by Korea’s four major liver societies. We believe that this collaboration will provide a broader and more dynamic platform for academic exchange.

EALA represents a meaningful academic alliance among three Asian countries. While we share strong expertise in major liver diseases, each country also brings distinct clinical experiences and research perspectives shaped by different epidemiologic and healthcare environments. This balance of shared strengths and complementary differences creates valuable opportunities for mutual learning and collaborative advancement in both research and clinical practice.

More importantly, EALA serves as a vital bridge between distinguished senior mentors and promising rising young investigators. Through structured mentorship, thoughtful scientific exchange, and open dialogue, we seek not only to advance research but also to cultivate the next generation of leaders in hepatology.

Beyond academic excellence, EALA has fostered enduring collegial relationships and strengthened professional friendships across borders. We sincerely hope that this symposium will further reinforce these bonds while creating new opportunities for collaboration and mutual growth.

We very much look forward to welcoming you to Seoul for inspiring scientific discussion, mentorship, and meaningful interaction.

Sincerely,

Young-Suk Lim
President
The Korean Association for the Study of the Liver (KASL)

East Asia Liver AllianceSCIENTIFIC PROGRAM

Rising Star Bootcamp

  • 14:00-14:40

  • Welcome Remarks

    Young-Suk Lim (Univ. of Ulsan, Korea)

  •  

  • Introduction of the New 2026 EALA Young Investigators

    Sung Won Lee (The Catholic Univ. of Korea, Korea)

14:40-16:00

Presentation of Group Research Results from EALA 2025

Moderators: Tatsuya Kanto (Japan Institute for Health Security, Japan), Do Young Kim (Yonsei Univ., Korea), Tung-Hung Su (National Taiwan Univ., Taiwan)

  • 14:40-15:00

  • [Group 1_MASLD]
    BMI-Based Subclassification of Steatotic Liver Disease with Increased Alcohol Intake

    Norihiro Imai (Nagoya Univ., Japan)

  • 15:00-15:20

  • [Group 2_HCC]
    Real-World Comparative Study of Atezolizumab/Bevacizumab versus Durvalumab/Tremelimumab as First-Line Therapy in Unresectable HCC: An East-Asia Liver Alliance Cohort Analysis

    Soon Kyu Lee (The Catholic Univ. of Korea, Korea)

  • 15:20-15:40

  • [Group 3_Viral Hepatitis]
    Development of HCC Prediction Models after SVR in Non-Cirrhotic Patients: East-Asia Liver Alliance Viral Collaboration

    Kazuya Okushin (The Univ. of Tokyo, Japan)

  • 15:40-16:00

  • [Group 4_Cirrhosis]
    Implementation Gap in Sarcopenia Assessment and Management in Cirrhosis: An East Asia Liver Alliance Survey

    Soon Sun Kim (Ajou Univ., Korea)

  • 16:00-16:20

  • Group Photo for Day 1 / Break and Connections

16:20-17:50

Small Group Discussion 1 for 2026 Young Investigators

  • 16:20-17:50

  • Group 1 (MASLD)

    Mentors: W. Ray Kim (AASLD), Seung Up Kim (KASL), Takumi Kawaguchi (JSH)

    YI:
    Sung Won Chung (Univ. of Ulsan, Korea), Dong Yun Kim (Yonsei Univ., Korea), Tsubasa Tsutsumi (Kurume Univ., Japan), Masaaki Mino (Japan Institute for Health Security, Japan), Chia-Hung Tai (Chang Gung Univ., Taiwan), Chun-Ming Hong (National Taiwan Univ., Taiwan)

  •  

  • Group 2 (HCC)

    Mentors: Ju Dong Yang (AASLD), Chung-Feng Huang (TASL)

    YI:
    Heechul Nam (The Catholic Univ. of Korea, Korea), Myung Ji Goh (Sungkyunkwan Univ., Korea), Hiroki Inada (Kumamoto Univ., Japan), Masayuki Ueno (Kurashiki Central Hospital, Japan), Wei Teng (Chang Gung Univ., Taiwan), Pei-Chang Lee (Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan)

  •  

  • Group 3 (Viral Hepatitis)

    Mentors: Jeong Won Jang (KASL), Tatsuya Kanto (JSH), Wen-Juei Jeng (TASL)

    YI:
    Hee Sun Cho (The Catholic Univ. of Korea, Korea), Sung Hwan Yoo (Yonsei Univ., Korea), Yeowool Kang (Dong-A Univ., Korea), Kazuhiro Murai (The Univ. of Osaka, Japan), Yu Ping Chang (National Taiwan Univ., Taiwan), Yi-Chung Hsieh (Chang Gung Univ., Taiwan)

  •  

  • Group 4 (Cirrhosis)

    Mentors: Willscott Naugler (AASLD), Sang Gyun Kim (KASL)

    YI:
    Seul Ki Han (Yonsei Univ. Wonju, Korea), Se Young Jang (Kyungpook National Univ., Korea), Moon Hyung Lee (Kyung Hee Univ., Korea), Shinya Yokoyama (Nagoya Univ., Japan), Masaaki Hirata (Kyoto Univ., Japan), Shu-Chi Wang (Kaohsiung Medical Univ., Taiwan)

  • 17:50-18:00

  • Wrap-up for Day 1 and Orientation for Day 2

    Sung Won Lee (The Catholic Univ. of Korea, Korea)

  • 18:30-20:30

  • EALA Dinner @ Conrad Seoul

  • 07:00-07:50

  • Breakfast Symposium

08:00-09:30

Invited Lecture

  • 08:00-08:30

  • EALA Collaborative Research from Networking to Translating Ideas

    Moderator: Ming-Lung Yu (Kaohsiung Medical Univ., Taiwan)
    Speaker: Takumi Kawaguchi (Kurume Univ., Japan)

  • 08:30-09:00

  • Generative AI and LLMs in Hepatology: Literature, Research, and Publication

    Mederator: Jung-Hwan Yoon (Seoul National Univ., Korea)
    Speaker: Tung-Hung Su (National Taiwan Univ., Taiwan)

  • 09:00-09:30

  • Designing and Conducting Your First Multinational, Multicenter IIT

    Moderator: Tetsuo Takehara (The Univ. of Osaka, Japan)
    Speaker: Won-Mook Choi (Univ. of Ulsan, Korea)

  • 09:30-09:40

  • Break, Connections, and Change Rooms

09:40-10:40

Small Group Discussion 2 for 2026 Young Investigators

  • 09:40-10:40

  • Group 1 (MASLD)

    Mentors: W. Ray Kim (AASLD), Seung Up Kim (KASL), Takumi Kawaguchi (JSH)

    YI:
    Sung Won Chung (Univ. of Ulsan, Korea), Dong Yun Kim (Yonsei Univ., Korea), Tsubasa Tsutsumi (Kurume Univ., Japan), Masaaki Mino (Japan Institute for Health Security, Japan), Chia-Hung Tai (Chang Gung Univ., Taiwan), Chun-Ming Hong (National Taiwan Univ., Taiwan)

  •  

  • Group 2 (HCC)

    Mentors: Chung-Feng Huang (TASL)

    YI:
    Heechul Nam (The Catholic Univ. of Korea, Korea), Myung Ji Goh (Sungkyunkwan Univ., Korea), Hiroki Inada (Kumamoto Univ., Japan), Masayuki Ueno (Kurashiki Central Hospital, Japan), Wei Teng (Chang Gung Univ., Taiwan), Pei-Chang Lee (Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan)

  •  

  • Group 3 (Viral Hepatitis)

    Mentors: Jeong Won Jang (KASL), Tatsuya Kanto (JSH), Wen-Juei Jeng (TASL)

    YI:
    Hee Sun Cho (The Catholic Univ. of Korea, Korea), Sung Hwan Yoo (Yonsei Univ., Korea), Yeowool Kang (Dong-A Univ., Korea), Kazuhiro Murai (The Univ. of Osaka, Japan), Yu Ping Chang (National Taiwan Univ., Taiwan), Yi-Chung Hsieh (Chang Gung Univ., Taiwan)

  •  

  • Group 4 (Cirrhosis)

    Mentors: Willscott Naugler (AASLD), Sang Gyun Kim (KASL)

    YI:
    Seul Ki Han (Yonsei Univ. Wonju, Korea), Se Young Jang (Kyungpook National Univ., Korea), Moon Hyung Lee (Kyung Hee Univ., Korea), Shinya Yokoyama (Nagoya Univ., Japan), Masaaki Hirata (Kyoto Univ., Japan), Shu-Chi Wang (Kaohsiung Medical Univ., Taiwan)

  • 10:40-10:50

  • Break, Connections, and Change Rooms

10:50-11:50

Small Group Final Presentation of Projects

Sung Won Lee (The Catholic Univ. of Korea, Korea)

  • 10:50-11:05

  • Group 1 (MASLD)

    2026 YI

  • 11:05-11:20

  • Group 2 (HCC)

    2026 YI

  • 11:20-11:35

  • Group 3 (Viral Hepatitis)

    2026 YI

  • 11:35-11:50

  • Group 4 (Cirrhosis)

    2026 YI

  • 11:50–12:00

  • Wrap-up for Day 2 and Closing Remarks, Group Photo

    Young-Suk Lim (Univ. of Ulsan, Korea)

  • 12:00-13:00

  • Luncheon Symposium (EALA Business Meeting)

East Asia Liver AllianceSCIENTIFIC PROGRAM

Symposium

  • 13:00-13:10

  • Opening

    Young-Suk Lim (KASL), Tetsuo Takehara (JSH), Ming-Lung Yu (TASL)

13:10-14:10

SESSION 1. Building the EALA Consensus

Young-Suk Lim (Univ. of Ulsan, Korea), Ming-Lung Yu (Kaohsiung Medical Univ., Taiwan)

  • 13:10-13:30

  • Chronic Hepatitis B

    In Hee Kim (Jeonbuk National Univ., Korea)

  • 13:30-13:50

  • Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines for MASLD 2026

    Norio Akuta (Toranomon Hospital, Japan)

  • 13:50-14:10

  • Surveillance of HCC, Current Status and Future Directions in Taiwan

    Sheng-Nan Lu (Jen Ai Hospital, Taiwan)

  • 14:10-14:30

  • Break, Group Photos

14:30-15:30

SESSION 2. Outstanding Research from EALA: MASLD

Tetsuo Takehara (The Univ. of Osaka, Japan), Chung-Feng Huang (Kaohsiung Medical Univ., Taiwan)

  • 14:30-14:50

  • Sex-Specific Cardiometabolic Risk Factors and Histological Predictors of MASLD Outcomes: Evidence from Japanese Multicenter Cohorts

    Tsubasa Tsutsumi (Kurume Univ., Japan)

  • 14:50-15:10

  • Emerging Trends and Multifaceted Risk Interactions of MASLD: Perspectives from Taiwan Cohorts

    Ming-Lun Yeh (Kaohsiung Medical Univ., Taiwan)

  • 15:10-15:30

  • Efficacy and Safety of Time-Restricted Eating in MASLD

    Joo Hyun Oh (CHA Univ., Korea)

14:30-15:30

SESSION 3. Outstanding Research from EALA: HCC

Si Hyun Bae (The Catholic Univ. of Korea, Korea), Tatsuya Kanto (Japan Institute for Health Security, Japan)

  • 15:30-15:50

  • Bystander CD8⁺ T Cells in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    Chun-Yen Lin (Chang Gung Univ., Taiwan)

  • 15:50-16:10

  • Developing and Validating a Risk Prediction Model in HCC Patients on Atezolizumab–Bevacizumab

    Heechul Nam (The Catholic Univ. of Korea, Korea)

  • 16:10-16:30

  • Biomarker Discovery of Combination Immunotherapy for HCC

    Takahiro Kodama (The Univ. of Osaka, Japan)

  • 16:30-16:40

  • Closing Remarks

    Ji Hoon Kim (Korea Univ., Korea)

East Asia Liver AllianceVENUE

EALA 2026 will be held in conjunction with The Liver Week 2026
on June 13–14, 2026, at Conrad Seoul.

The program will take place on the 5th and 6th floors and will feature:

  • 2nd Rising Star Bootcamp
  • 3rd EALA Symposium

All the information provided by SEOUL TOURISM ORGANIZATION.

More Information ->