Prof. Shou Zhangfei, MD, PhD, FACS

Under the guidance of Professor Shou Zhangfei and Deputy Director Zou Qingling, Shulan Hospital’s Nephrology Department operates as an integrated clinical, academic, and research center specializing in comprehensive kidney disease management. The department’s scope encompasses primary glomerular diseases (including acute, rapidly progressive, and chronic glomerulonephritis; nephrotic syndrome; IgA nephropathy; latent nephritis), systemic illness-related nephropathies (diabetic nephropathy, hypertensive nephropathy, urate nephropathy), secondary nephropathies (drug-induced nephrotoxicity, infection-related glomerulopathy, paraneoplastic renal injury), tubulointerstitial disorders (acute/chronic interstitial nephritis), kidney failure syndromes (acute kidney injury/AKI, chronic kidney disease/CKD), and transplantation medicine (kidney allograft procedures with rejection management).

Research priorities focus on four key domains: (1) pathogenesis and novel therapeutics for primary glomerular diseases; (2) mechanistic pathways in systemic/metabolic nephropathies; (3) progression markers in tubulointerstitial diseases with AKI biomarker development and CKD optimization; and (4) allograft tolerance induction strategies.

Beyond standard care, the department leverages advanced translational protocols to address complex clinical challenges: Highly sensitized transplantation is enabled through preoperative high-resolution HLA genotyping, flow cytometry crossmatching (Flow-CDC), perioperative therapeutic plasma exchange, and rituximab/IVIG desensitization protocols. ABO-incompatible transplantation utilizes epitope-based matching and Luminex-platform single antigen bead assays for preformed donor-specific antibody detection. Living-donor programs featuring minimally invasive nephrectomy mitigate organ shortages. Comprehensive infection control integrates pre-transplant multidrug-resistant organism screening, metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS), and antimicrobial stewardship collaborations. Evidence-based TCM modalities (herbal formulations, acupuncture) complement conventional management of CKD and allograft complications. Critical care nephrology capabilities include extracorporeal therapies for toxins, refractory AKI, severe acid-base/electrolyte derangements, and cardiorenal syndrome. Peritoneal dialysis advancements feature Automated Peritoneal Dialysis (APD) with kinetic modeling-guided adequacy optimization and telemedicine-enabled home PD programs promoting societal reintegration.

Dean of Shulan (Hangzhou) Hospital and Director of its Nephrology Department, stands as a nationally recognized leader in kidney transplantation and renal replacement therapy. A doctoral graduate of Japan’s Fukui University and distinguished professor with over 30 years’ experience at Zhejiang University’s First Affiliated Hospital, he has personally performed 2,500+ kidney transplants – pioneering China’s largest series of highly sensitized transplants (117 cases) and establishing benchmark protocols for ABO-incompatible living-donor transplantation. His innovative desensitization strategies – integrating high-resolution HLA genotyping, flow cytometry crossmatching (Flow-CDC), and rituximab/IVIG regimens – have redefined management of immunologically high-risk recipients. Under his leadership, the department achieves 100% early graft function recovery in 166 living-donor transplants through minimally invasive laparoscopic nephrectomy, with both donors and recipients maintaining excellent long-term outcomes.

Professor Shou’s transformative work extends to peritoneal dialysis advancement, where he implemented China’s first telemedicine-guided home PD program enabling patient societal reintegration. His research in chronic kidney disease management has contributed to two National Science and Technology Progress Second Prizes and four Zhejiang Provincial First Prizes. Nationally, he shapes transplant policy as Standing Committee Member of the Chinese Medical Association’s Organ Transplantation Branch and Vice Chair-Elect of Zhejiang’s Organ Transplantation Branch, while globally promoting ethical donor practices as Deputy Director of the Live Organ Transplantation Committee. His integrated TCM-Western medicine protocols for transplant complications represent a signature contribution to holistic nephrological care.