MONOS
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Monocyte metabolism and signalling in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
IRAS ID
222575
Contact name
Michael Allison
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and University of Cambridge
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 7 months, 1 days
Research summary
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) covers a spectrum of pathology from fat accumulation/simple steatosis (SS), with or without inflammation/steatohepatitis (NASH), through to advanced scarring/cirrhosis and liver cancer/hepatocellular carcinoma. NAFLD is strongly associated with the metabolic syndrome (MetS), comprising obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension and coronary heart disease.
It is currently thought to affect 25-33% of the population, is rising non-linearly in many countries including the USA, India and China. It is rapidly becoming a leading cause of chronic liver disease and transplantation worldwide.
Not all patients with fatty liver progress to cirrhosis, and there are diagnostic and economical challenges are in understanding which patients require close monitoring for disease progression. Respectively, these challenges involve inability to follow up a third of the adult population and the lack of ability of non-invasive tests to identify the presence of inflammation or to predict the risk of progression to cirrhosis.
Data from patients who have had liver biopsies have demonstrated that hepatic inflammation is an independent predictor of progression of fibrosis and that the stage of fibrosis determines risk of liver events and liver-related mortality.
Given our evolving understanding of the interplay between various factors in determining the risk of NASH and of progression of NASH, optimal assessment would include a knowledge of relevant genetic polymorphisms, metabolic profile, immune profile and the current histological stage.
The aims of this study are to understand the role of immunometabolism in driving NAFLD progression and to identify potential serological biomarkers of disease progression and clinical prognosis.REC name
East of England - Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/EE/0389
Date of REC Opinion
24 Oct 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion