Biomarkers in severe acute hepatitis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Biomarkers of hepatic inflammation, senescence, and regeneration in severe acute hepatitis.
IRAS ID
333200
Contact name
MohammadMahdi Saeidinejad
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Free Hospital
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Acute liver failure (ALF) is a rare condition where patients without any prior liver disease, sustain major liver injury (i.e. acute hepatitis) leading to liver and brain failure. This is a life-threatening condition with mortality rates of around 25% in the first month of admission to hospital. Yet no definitive treatment is available beyond liver transplantation. Therefore, supportive therapy remains the mainstay of management.
The process of decision making to list a patient for liver transplantation is challenging and requires careful day to day assessment. Despite this, there is no clear way to predict if recovery can be achieved without transplantation. Additionally, late transplantation is associated with a greater risk of mortality and therefore the decision regarding this needs to be made in a timely manner. Hence, having a test which can give a clear indication of the prognosis prior to any further deterioration is of great value. This would allow earlier and better preparation of patients for surgery to improve outcome. Moreover, it can aid decision-making in situations where chances of recovery without transplant are unclear thus reducing the rate of unnecessary transplantation.
Studies in animal and human models have shown that markers pointing to lack of regeneration, can be predictive of risks of deterioration and survival. For instance p21, is a protein that is involved in processes which hinder tissue repair after injury and therefore is an important example of this.REC name
South Central - Hampshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/SC/0031
Date of REC Opinion
31 Jan 2024
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion