MicroRNA-122, liver elastography and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The utility of microRNA-122 in the triage of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) for further evaluation with liver elastography.
IRAS ID
247787
Contact name
Emma Kelso
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is used to describe a number of conditions that result in the build-up of fat in the liver. The current gold standard for diagnosing NAFLD is liver elastography, which is corroborated by liver biopsy in patients where it is clinically indicated, such as in patients with grade four steatosis. As liver biopsy is an invasive procedure it is important to develop new non-invasive methods. It has been suggested that the measurement of circulating microRNA-122 in blood may be useful in the diagnosis of NAFLD. MicroRNA levels also have the potential to be used to determine which patients require follow up by radiological imaging. This study aims to determine the utility of microRNA-122 for diagnosis and screening of NAFLD patients.
REC name
North East - Tyne & Wear South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/NE/0195
Date of REC Opinion
8 Jun 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion