MRI-DETECT
Research type
Research Study
Full title
MRI and Stable Isotope Tracer Studies for Detecting the Progression of Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH)
IRAS ID
263534
Contact name
Michael Pavlides
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 10 months, 0 days
Research summary
One-third of the world’s population suffers from Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease(NAFLD), that is a disease with accumulation of fat in the liver. Some NAFLD patients will progress in their disease to develop inflammation, scarring of the liver tissue, and cirrhosis that can lead to liver failure. The mechanisms of the disease and its progression are still unknown. It is therefore critical to find early markers that can identify the patients that will progress, so that they can be treated early.
A compound called L-carnitine, synthesised in the body from two amino acids; lysine and methionine, is critical for fat metabolism. Some studies have shown that it is decreased in liver disease patients, and that L-carnitine supplementation can protect the liver function.
This study aims to increase the understanding of the mechanisms behind different stages of NAFLD, so that diagnostic methods can be developed to predict the patients at risk for developing severe liver disease. Furthermore, fat metabolism and L-carnitine levels will be established in the different disease stages to evaluate whether fat metabolism could be compromised.
MRI will be used for imaging of the whole liver and the heart to investigate metabolism and function non-invasively. Whole body metabolism and how carbohydrates taken up from diets are converted to fats in the body will be explored using stable isotope labelling.
This study will recruit 30 NAFLD participants with three different severities of the disease. Participants will undergo MRI, followed by a stable isotope labelled study, where through blood- and breathe- samples, metabolism will be investigated. An additional 10 healthy participants will be imaged with MRI to assess whether an injection of L-carnitine can lead to sufficient increase of L-carnitine in the liver such that it can be detected by MRI. This is to validate a methodology prior to using it in NAFLD participants.REC name
South Central - Oxford B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/SC/0571
Date of REC Opinion
3 Dec 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion