Liver Transplantation News and Research

RSS

Discovery of protein that causes liver disease brings hope for new treatments

In a world-first discovery, scientists at Sydney’s Westmead Institute for Medical Research have identified a protein that causes liver fibrosis (scarring), paving the way for new treatments for liver disease to be developed.

3 May 2017

High-fat diet and obesity drive liver immune cells to promote metabolic syndrome

A high-fat diet and obesity turn "hero" virus-fighting liver immune cells "rogue", leading to insulin resistance, a condition that often results in type 2 diabetes, according to research published today in Science Immunology.

21 Apr 2017

Babies with low or high birth weight may be at increased risk for developing NAFLD, study suggests

A study published in the Journal of Pediatrics suggests that children born with lower or higher weight than normal may be at increased risk for developing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

18 Apr 2017

Australia has potential to eradicate hepatitis C in 10–15 years, says expert

Australia has the potential to eradicate hepatitis C in the next 10–15 years, according to Associate Professor Simone Strasser, gastroenterologist at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney.

4 Apr 2017

New Smilow Liver Cancer Program aims to maximize value of care for patients

In the last 10 years there has been a constant growth in the number of patient with primary liver cancer treated at Yale New Haven Hospital and at Smilow Cancer Hospital.

15 Mar 2017

Widely adopted blood transfusion practice may not benefit non-trauma patients, MGH study suggests

A study from investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital finds that a blood transfusion practice previously studied only in patients with severe traumatic injuries has been widely adopted within the hospital for surgical patients without traumatic injuries.

9 Mar 2017

High level use of opioids may affect survival of liver transplant recipients, study finds

An analysis of nearly 30,000 patients undergoing liver transplantation in the United States between 2008 and 2014 found elevated death and organ loss rates in the first 5 years after transplantation among recipients with the highest use of opioid pain medications while on the waiting list.

2 Mar 2017

Sickest children can successfully undergo liver transplantation with advances in critical care

Advancements in critical care make it possible for even the sickest children to successfully undergo liver transplantation.

7 Feb 2017

MGH-developed CTC-iChip with digital PCR assay improves detection of early-stage liver cancer

Use of an advanced form of the commonly used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method to analyze circulating tumor cells (CTCs) may greatly increase the ability to diagnose early-stage cancer, increasing the likelihood of successful treatment.

20 Jan 2017

New review discusses about care for pediatric liver transplant recipients

A new review discusses important consideration when caring for children who have received liver transplants.

18 Jan 2017

Revolutionary approach could save lives of sickest patients waiting for liver transplant

There's new hope for patients with liver disease who are waiting for a donor liver to become available for transplantation.

15 Dec 2016

Study provides insights into biology of protein implicated in kidney disease

Investigators have discovered important information about apolipoprotein L1 (ApoL1), which can contribute to the development of various forms of kidney disease.

9 Dec 2016

Study finds way to increase liver cancer screening rates among at-risk cirrhosis patients

Proactive outreach to cirrhosis patients in a safety net health system successfully doubled their screening rates for liver cancer, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers found.

18 Nov 2016

Researchers uncover prevalence of anxiety and depression in young people with chronic liver diseases

Researchers have found that many teens and young adults with chronic liver conditions suffer from depression and anxiety, which can have considerable impacts on their emotional and physical health.

27 Oct 2016

Scientists generate functional tissue-engineered liver from adult stem and progenitor cells

A research team led by investigators at The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles has generated functional human and mouse tissue-engineered liver from adult stem and progenitor cells.

31 Aug 2016

Cell-free DNA test could help identify liver transplant patients with acute rejection

Today, researchers presented findings at the 68th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting that DNA found circulating in the bloodstream—known as cell-free DNA—can be used to identify liver transplant patients with acute rejection with greater accuracy than conventional liver function tests.

1 Aug 2016

Study shows how Medicaid expansion affects health insurance coverage of liver transplant recipients

Researchers have found that Medicaid expansion increased Medicaid enrollment among people who received liver transplants funded by commercial insurance. The findings are published inLiver Transplantation.

27 Jul 2016

Alnylam reports new results from investigational RNAi therapeutic programs

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALNY), the leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today preliminary results from its ongoing Phase 2 open-label extension (OLE) studies with patisiran and revusiran, both investigational RNAi therapeutics targeting transthyretin (TTR) for the treatment of hereditary TTR-mediated amyloidosis (hATTR amyloidosis).

6 Jul 2016

Scientists use new technique to repair fibrotic liver cells within the organ

Advances in stem cell research have made it possible to convert patients' skin cells into heart cells, kidney cells, liver cells and more in the lab dish, giving researchers hope that one day such cells could replace organ transplantation for patients with organ failure.

3 Jun 2016

Changes in intestinal microbiota linked to primary sclerosing cholangitis

Primary sclerosing cholangitis, also known as PSC, is a liver disease with no effective medical treatment. Liver transplantation is the only proven long-term treatment of PSC, although only a fraction of individuals with PSC will ultimately require it.

23 May 2016