Biliary atresia News and Research

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Biliary atresia (BA) is a condition characterized by a discontinuity or obliteration of the extrahepatic or biliary system that results in bile flow obstruction.

Maternal transfer of healthier gut bacteria helps neonates to resist biliary atresia

Biliary atresia is a rare disease that occurs when a delicate tree-like set of ducts that carry bile from the liver to the intestine becomes scarred and blocked. While some treatments can slow the damage, most children who develop biliary atresia will die without a liver transplant.

10 Jan 2022

Study pinpoints an entirely new approach for treatment of biliary atresia

Biliary atresia is the largest cause of end-stage liver fibrosis in children and the main reason children need liver transplants. Despite many years of worldwide research, scientists have not yet found a way to prevent the condition.

7 Sep 2021

Researchers show how the ductal system connecting digestive organs is formed

A specialized system of ducts transports bile and enzymes from the liver and pancreas to the intestine. In a new study, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have shown how this ductal system is formed. The new knowledge can help understanding how congenital diseases in that part of the body arise.

3 Dec 2019

Researchers identify genes linked with survival in children with biliary atresia

Scientists at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have identified an expression pattern of 14 genes at the time of diagnosis that predicts two year, transplant-free survival in children with biliary atresia – the most common diagnosis leading to liver transplants in children.

19 Jun 2019

Researchers identify first genetic defect linked to biliary atresia

A nationwide consortium of researchers has identified the first genetic defect linked to biliary atresia, a mysterious liver disease that is the leading cause for liver transplantation in children.

5 Mar 2019

Genetic defect linked to pediatric liver disease identified

Researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, in collaboration with several other institutions, have discovered a genetic defect linked to Biliary atresia, the most common pediatric cause of end-stage liver disease, and the leading indication for liver transplantation in children.

21 Feb 2019

Sickest children could benefit from split liver transplants

In a review of registry data for more than 5,300 liver transplants performed in children nationwide, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers identify the type of patient who is most likely to survive a split liver transplant--receiving only part of a donor's liver--with no additional long-term health risks, which could allow for an increase in the availability of organs.

18 Dec 2018

Researchers develop most sophisticated mini-livers to date

Scientists at Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine have developed the most sophisticated mini-livers to date.

13 Feb 2018

Study finds rise in pregnancy rates among women with chronic liver disease

A new study presented this week at The Liver Meeting – held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases – found that the overall number of pregnancies in women with chronic liver disease or following liver transplantation has risen over the past 30 years.

20 Oct 2017

Cambridge scientists develop new method for growing and transplanting artificial bile ducts

Cambridge scientists have developed a new method for growing and transplanting artificial bile ducts that could in future be used to help treat liver disease in children, reducing the need for liver transplantation.

3 Jul 2017

Singapore researchers discover new mechanism in the liver's response to blocked bile ducts

A multi-disciplinary team of researchers from the Mechanobiology Institute, Singapore at the National University of Singapore, the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology of A*STAR, and BioSyM, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology have described the mechanical principles adopted by liver cells as they remove excess bile during obstructive cholestasis.

30 Jun 2017

Children's Hospital Los Angeles performs 300th pediatric liver transplant

At 7 months old, Donovan Daniels of Westminster may not understand for some time just how serious his medical condition, biliary atresia, really is.

30 Dec 2016

Pediatric surgeons who perform very few procedures after graduation may have hard time in the long run

Some pediatric surgeons perform so few rare and complex procedures once they finish their surgical training that they may have a hard time maintaining operative skills in the long run, according to a new study led by researchers at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.

31 Mar 2016

High-dose steroid therapy following surgery do not improve bile drainage among infants

Among infants who underwent surgery to repair bile ducts that do not drain properly (biliary atresia), the administration of high-dose steroid therapy following surgery did not significantly improve bile drainage after 6 months, although a small clinical benefit could not be excluded, according to a study in the May 7 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on child health.

5 May 2014

High doses of steroids fail to improve outcomes in pediatric liver disease

A multi-center study concludes that treating infants with high doses of steroids fails to improve medical outcomes in the end-stage pediatric liver disease biliary atresia and leads to earlier onset of serious adverse events.

5 May 2014

Stool color guide and free mobile app help diagnose liver-ravaging disorder in babies

Fecal color and consistency are well-known markers of digestive health in both children and adults, but paying attention to a newborn's shade of poop can be a decided lifesaver in babies born with the rare, liver-ravaging disorder biliary atresia, commonly heralded by white or clay-colored stool.

22 Apr 2014

New parents need to pay attention to baby’s poop color, say pediatric gastroenterologists

Fecal color and consistency are well-known markers of digestive health in both children and adults, but paying attention to a newborn’s shade of poop can be a decided lifesaver in babies born with the rare, liver-ravaging disorder biliary atresia, commonly heralded by white or clay-colored stool.

18 Apr 2014

Children with biliary atresia better tolerate maternal liver grafts

Children with a rare, life-threatening disease that is the most common cause of neonatal liver failure - biliary atresia - better tolerate liver transplants from their mothers than from their fathers, according to a UCSF-led study.

4 Jan 2012

Second molecular conductor discovered in some children with biliary atresia

Unexpected discovery of a new molecular signature for a destructive and often lethal pediatric liver disease may lead to a new therapeutic target for the hard-to-treat condition.

9 Nov 2011

Autoimmune response mediated by T lymphocytes may play vital role in pathogenesis of biliary atresia

Biliary atresia (BA) is an inflammatory obliterative cholangiopathy with unknown etiology, leading to progressive fibrosis and cirrhosis. Microarray technology, emerged as an indispensable research tool for gene expression profiling, has been used to study the mechanism underlying BA, and allows the simultaneous analysis of thousands of transcripts within a single experiment.

9 Mar 2011