HANGZHOU, June 2 (Xinhua) -- A liver disease research and treatment center was jointly established by Chinese and U.S. medical institutions on Thursday in Hangzhou, the capital of east China's Zhejiang Province.

The center, which was established by the U.S.'s UCLA Medical Center and China's First Affiliated Hospital of the College of Medicine of Zhejiang University, aims to increase cooperation between the two countries in the area of liver disease research, according to a hospital official.

Many people in China are affected by hepatitis B and liver cancer, including 120 million people with the hepatitis B virus, said Zheng Shusen, an academic from the Chinese Academy of Engineering and head of the hospital.

The center will utilize medical resources and experience from both of its founding institutions, Zheng said.