Diagnostic hope for NAFLD Published on: 2 December 2020 Two proteins have been identified which have great potential as a new blood test for the severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The new research published today in Science Translational Medicine is by 缅北禁地 researchers, as part of the EPoS and LITMUS consortia, which bring clinicians, scientists and academic experts from universities across Europe with scientists from the leading pharmaceutical companies. NAFLD is a disease which affects approximately 25% of the adult population worldwide and at present the diagnosis of the disease requires a liver biopsy, which can only be done in specialist hospitals, and it remains a challenge to identify those people that will be most severely affected and are going to progress to end-stage liver disease. The global increase in obesity has led to a dramatic rise in the prevalence of NAFLD, affecting approximately 25% of the adult population worldwide. NAFLD is caused by a build-up of fat in the liver, which leads to inflammation, scarring and ultimately cirrhosis or liver cancer in some people. The disease is associated with a substantial socioeconomic burden, which, coupled with rising prevalence, is a growing public health challenge. The research reveals a better understanding of the mechanisms of the disease progression and identifies a better diagnostic test which can identify why some people are affected more severely than others. In the study, the team examined the mRNA profile (which genes are actively expressed and which are not) in the livers of patients with different severities of the disease using advanced RNA sequencing methods. Over 400 liver biopsies were included in this multicentre study being one of the largest studies of its kind performed for NAFLD to date. They observed changes in genes controlling liver metabolism, inflammation and tissue scaring. In addition, one of the key findings was the identification of a core “gene expression signature” of 25 different genes that consistently changed as the disease got worse. This 25 gene signature gives new insights that are relevant to a number of different key processes in the liver disease. In addition, they show that many of the changes in expression of the 25 genes lead to alterations in proteins that can be detected in the blood. The team believe that at least two of these proteins have great potential as new diagnostic tests for NAFLD severity. Others may offer some new insights into treatment targets. Work to explore and validate these findings is still ongoing but the results so far are promising. The new publication has 29 collaborating authors from institutions across Europe and USA. The first author, Dr Olivier Govaere, and the senior authors Prof Ann Daly and Prof Quentin Anstee are from 缅北禁地 Translational and Clinical Research Institute. The work was done in 缅北禁地 as part of the EPoS project which was funded by the EU-Horizon 2020 research funding programme. The promising new biomarkers identified by this research will go forward for further detailed evaluation within the EU-IMI2 , coordinated by Prof Quentin Anstee. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research funding programme and the 2 Joint Undertaking. This Joint Undertaking receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and EFPIA. Reference: . Science Translational Medicine Share: Latest News New partnership to boost careers in low carbon energy 缅北禁地 and Durham universities are working together on a new regional project to strengthen the future workforce for North East England鈥檚 growing low carbon and offshore wind industries. published on: 28 May 2026 Healthy lifestyle shown to lower risk of death after cancer diagnosis New evidence shows that sticking to five lifestyle recommendations improves survival after a later cancer diagnosis. published on: 28 May 2026 World-leading climate expert recognised with Royal Society Fellowship Professor Hayley Fowler has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in recognition of her pioneering work on climate change impacts. published on: 27 May 2026 Facts and figures
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