Liver News and Research

RSS

Therapy for genetically-caused emphysema slows progression of lung disease

A landmark clinical study in the Lancet provides convincing evidence that a frequently overlooked therapy for genetically-caused emphysema is effective and slows the progression of lung disease.

29 May 2015

Study shows differences in rates of paracetamol-linked acute liver failure among European countries

A fifty-fold between-country difference in rates of paracetamol-induced acute liver failure that leads to liver transplant (ALFT) has been revealed by a study that compared patient data from seven countries at the request of the European Medicines Agency: France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal and the UK.

29 May 2015

Clinical trial suggests HIV patients should start therapy sooner rather than later

Findings from a large-scale clinical trial have shown that people with HIV should start antiretroviral therapy as soon as they have been diagnosed, irrespective of what their CD4+ count is...

28 May 2015

Research findings could help guide development of potential treatments for HCV

Warring armies use a variety of tactics as they struggle to gain the upper hand. Among their tricks is to attack with a decoy force that occupies the defenders while an unseen force launches a separate attack that the defenders fail to notice.

28 May 2015

TSRI scientists awarded $2.2 million NIH grant to advance innovative approach to obesity treatment

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have been awarded nearly $2.2 million by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health to advance an innovative approach to the treatment of obesity, a serious health problem that affects more than one-third of all Americans.

28 May 2015

Earlier antiretroviral treatment benefits HIV-infected individuals

A major international randomized clinical trial has found that HIV-infected individuals have a considerably lower risk of developing AIDS or other serious illnesses if they start taking antiretroviral drugs sooner, when their CD4+ T-cell count--a key measure of immune system health--is higher, instead of waiting until the CD4+ cell count drops to lower levels. Together with data from previous studies showing that antiretroviral treatment reduced the risk of HIV transmission to uninfected sexual partners, these findings support offering treatment to everyone with HIV.

28 May 2015

Aflatoxin exposure associated with increased risk of gallbladder cancer

In a small study in Chile that included patients with gallbladder cancer, exposure to aflatoxin (a toxin produced by mold) was associated with an increased risk of gallbladder cancer, according to a study in the May 26 issue of JAMA.

27 May 2015

Research findings cast new light on biological process that can lead to diabetes

Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation scientists have pinpointed a cell that begins the process of scarring in fatty tissue. The findings cast new light on a biological process that occurs with obesity and can lead to diabetes.

27 May 2015

People who have higher HDL function experience fewer heart attacks later in life

HDL is the 'good cholesterol' that helps remove fat from artery walls, reversing the process that leads to heart disease. Yet recent drug trials and genetic studies suggest that simply pushing HDL levels higher doesn't necessarily reduce the risk of heart disease.

27 May 2015

Study explores how one genome could produce three different castes within bumblebees

Biologists from the University of Leicester have discovered that one of nature's most important pollinators - the buff-tailed bumblebee - either ascends to the status of queen or remains a lowly worker bee based on which genes are 'turned on' during its lifespan.

27 May 2015

Esophageal cancer patients treated with proton therapy experience less toxic side effects

New research by scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine has found that esophageal cancer patients treated with proton therapy experienced significantly less toxic side effects than patients treated with older radiation therapies.

24 May 2015

TGen and Baylor partnership set to increase treatment options for cancer patients

The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Baylor Research Institute (BRI) at Dallas today announce an agreement that will focus on accelerating early detection and treatments for patients with a broad range of cancers.

22 May 2015

GHIT Fund expands investments in leishmaniasis, diagnostic tests

The Global Health Innovative Technology Fund, which in the last two years has funded almost $32 million for innovative tools to tackle global infectious diseases, today announced additional investments of nearly $11 million that bring its portfolio to approximately $43 million.

22 May 2015

Risk prediction model can help target hepatitis C treatment to patients with most urgent need

A team of researchers at the University of Michigan Health System has developed a risk prediction model that helps identify which hepatitis C patients have the most urgent need for new anti-viral drugs.

22 May 2015

Skipping meals linked to abdominal weight gain and diabetes risk in mice

The researchers assessed glucose production to check for insulin resistance in the mice that gorged and then fasted and found that they had indeed developed insulin resistance in their livers, which is an indicator of prediabetes...

21 May 2015

CLDF collaborates with Walgreens to offer free rapid HCV testing

The Chronic Liver Disease Foundation announced today that it's collaborating with Walgreens to offer free hepatitis C (HCV) testing with the OraQuick HCV Rapid Test at more than 60 Walgreens retail pharmacies in 12 major cities throughout the country.

19 May 2015

Researchers reveal molecular steps that allow pancreatic cancer to spread to the liver

An international team led by Weill Cornell Medical College investigators has illuminated the precise molecular steps that enable pancreatic cancer to spread to the liver -- the event that makes the most common form of the disease lethal. By understanding this process, investigators say their discovery can lead to targeted treatments that delay metastasis, and could offer clinicians a new biomarker to test for the earliest signs of pancreatic cancer.

19 May 2015

Alnylam files clinical trial application for alpha-1 liver disease, presents data at DDW

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that it has filed a Clinical Trial Application (CTA) with the U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to initiate a Phase 1/2 clinical trial with ALN-AAT, a subcutaneously administered investigational RNAi therapeutic targeting alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) for the treatment of AAT deficiency-associated liver disease (alpha-1 liver disease).

19 May 2015

Monash University-led researchers call for HCV patients to gain improved access to effective drugs

In a letter to the Medical Journal of Australia published today, a Monash University-led team is asking for hepatitis C virus patients to gain improved access to drugs to prevent liver related deaths.

19 May 2015

Investing in new hepatitis C therapies may have significant economic impact

While a new generation of safer, more effective oral medications to treat hepatitis C patients may cost tens of thousands of dollars for a 12-week regiment, investing in these new therapies could generate savings estimated at more than $3.2 billion annually in the U.S. and five European countries, according to a new study (abstract 228) released today at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2015.

18 May 2015

Liver News and Research

Therapy for genetically-caused emphysema slows progression of lung disease

Study shows differences in rates of paracetamol-linked acute liver failure among European countries

Clinical trial suggests HIV patients should start therapy sooner rather than later

Research findings could help guide development of potential treatments for HCV

TSRI scientists awarded $2.2 million NIH grant to advance innovative approach to obesity treatment

Earlier antiretroviral treatment benefits HIV-infected individuals

Aflatoxin exposure associated with increased risk of gallbladder cancer

Research findings cast new light on biological process that can lead to diabetes

People who have higher HDL function experience fewer heart attacks later in life

Study explores how one genome could produce three different castes within bumblebees

Esophageal cancer patients treated with proton therapy experience less toxic side effects

TGen and Baylor partnership set to increase treatment options for cancer patients

GHIT Fund expands investments in leishmaniasis, diagnostic tests

Risk prediction model can help target hepatitis C treatment to patients with most urgent need

Skipping meals linked to abdominal weight gain and diabetes risk in mice

CLDF collaborates with Walgreens to offer free rapid HCV testing

Researchers reveal molecular steps that allow pancreatic cancer to spread to the liver

Alnylam files clinical trial application for alpha-1 liver disease, presents data at DDW

Monash University-led researchers call for HCV patients to gain improved access to effective drugs

Investing in new hepatitis C therapies may have significant economic impact

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Latest News