The Protecting.Health Hong Kong Initiative is a long-term health monitoring study. Through regular blood draws and the collection of health data, the study aims to analyse changes in the blood using a novel blood testing technology pioneered by Professor Ferenc Krausz, a recipient of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics. The goal is to understand whether this technology has the potential to identify early signs of common chronic diseases — such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes — before obvious symptoms appear.
The study plans to begin recruiting healthy individuals aged 40 to 70 in the second half of 2026, with an initial target of approximately 6,000 participants in Hong Kong. This may later expand to around 15,000 participants. The study will be conducted primarily within the Hong Kong community, with an overall duration of approximately 20 years. For public health research, this represents a considerable undertaking with far-reaching significance. The research team hopes that through long-term, systematic observation, they can gain deeper insight into whether detectable changes in the blood occur before any obvious signs of disease emerge — thereby providing a stronger scientific basis for early disease identification.
The study is divided into two phases.
The first 10 years constitute an active follow-up period, during which participants are required to attend the study centre at scheduled intervals for health assessments and blood draws, enabling the research team to continuously collect and analyse health data.
The subsequent 10 years form a non-active follow-up period, during which participants will no longer be visiting the study centre; instead, the research team will conduct long-term health tracking through health records to monitor participants' health status and any disease developments over time.
At the start of the study, participants will undergo a baseline health assessment, which includes completing a health questionnaire, body measurements, blood pressure and pulse checks, a resting electrocardiogram (ECG), blood draws and a urine test. Some of these assessments require fasting beforehand. Following the initial evaluation, the research team will schedule subsequent visits according to the study plan. There will be additional baseline visits during the first year, followed by check-ins approximately every six months. More comprehensive health assessments will be arranged at Year 5 and Year 10. For certain higher-risk participants, the research team may also arrange a coronary artery calcium score assessment or a low-dose chest CT scan to support a more thorough evaluation of their health.
Participants will be grouped according to their overall health risk profile. Lower-risk participants are those with no significant medical history, cardiovascular risk factors, and no heavy smoking history. Higher-risk participants may include those with multiple cardiovascular risk factors, a heavier smoking history, or immediate family members who have had lung cancer. However, final group assignments will not be based on any single factor alone — they will be determined by the research team through a comprehensive assessment of each participant’s overall health information.
As this study focuses on long-term health changes, there are certain eligibility requirements. An initial screening will be conducted to assess whether participants fall within the required age and body mass index range, and to review their medical history, current medications and suitability for blood draws. In general, individuals who have a history of certain serious illnesses, are taking certain long-term prescription medications, or have conditions that make blood draws inadvisable will be subject to further evaluation by the research team to ensure both the recruitment of the targeted study population and the safety of participants.
To ensure the study results are as meaningful and reliable as possible, participants are also required to follow certain study procedures. For example, fasting for at least 10 hours is required before each blood draw. Within specified timeframes, participants should avoid blood donation, vaccinations, other blood draw procedures, traditional Chinese medicine treatments, and investigational drugs from other clinical trials. During the study period, participants must also consent to the research team accessing their Hospital Authority medical records for the purposes of this study, and provide relevant medical documents when needed to verify medical and medication histories. All arrangements will be carried out in accordance with the study protocol and related procedures, with the guiding principle of safeguarding participants’ rights and maintaining the quality of the research.
The core value of this study lies in exploring whether diseases can be identified earlier — through subtle changes in the blood — before clinical symptoms appear. If this new technology is ultimately shown to hold strong potential for real-world application, it could open up new directions for early disease detection, risk assessment and health management. For Hong Kong, this is a forward-looking research endeavour with significant public health implications.
The core value of this study lies in exploring whether diseases can be identified earlier — through subtle changes in the blood — before clinical symptoms appear. If this new technology is ultimately shown to hold strong potential for real-world application, it could open up new directions for early disease detection, risk assessment and health management. For Hong Kong, this is a forward-looking research endeavour with significant public health implications.