Raising awareness about the vital role of the liver!
World Liver Day is observed on the 19th April each year to raise awareness about early detection, prevention and severity of liver diseases.
To mark World Liver Day we are sharing some of the projects from the NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre Liver Disease Theme. If you would like any more information or to be involved in our research please get in touch.
Led by Dr Jess Dyson
Improving access to research for patients
One of the priorities within the Newcastle BRC is improving access to research irrespective of age and socioeconomic factors; to move towards a situation where all patients feel empowered to participate in research. There are increasing opportunities for patients to take part in research which is entirely IT-based without any paper documents being used. Not all patients are confident with using technology, particularly in settings (such as research) where they have no or limited experience. Having access to electronic research platforms with tablets being readily accessible to patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings will be invaluable.
The BRC has funded 10 tablets for use at the main outpatient department at the Freeman Hospital and the outpatient clinic at the Centre for Aging and Vitality to aid information dissemination, enable team members to support patients with less IT experience to participate in studies and collect feedback from patients about their participation in research. It may also help us to understand why there are some patient groups who are particularly ‘research active’ and why some are less so.
Whilst these new technology solutions are exciting we need to ensure we support patients with their use, particularly in hard to reach groups. We believe the impact of having these tablets available will be increasing participation in inpatient and outpatient studies across the research portfolio in the Newcastle BRC.
Led by Dr Jack Leslie
Spatially resolved analysis of immunosuppressive mechanisms in the HCC tumour microenvironment
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a type of liver cancer that significantly impacts health globally. Despite recent advances in treatment, particularly with immunotherapy, the majority of patients with HCC do not respond effectively to these treatments. This research aims to delve into why only a few patients benefit from immunotherapy and to find ways to predict who these responders might be.
Immunotherapy uses the body's immune system to fight cancer and has been a groundbreaking advancement in cancer treatment. This research focuses on understanding the differences between patients who respond to immunotherapy and those who do not. The goal is to identify specific markers or signs within the cancerous tissues that could help predict a patient's response to treatment.
We propose to use a cutting-edge technique called imaging mass cytometry (IMC). This method allows for an in-depth analysis of cancer tissues at a cellular level. By examining both the cancerous and surrounding non-cancerous tissues from patients who have undergone immunotherapy, the team aims to identify patterns or combinations of biological markers associated with a positive response to treatment.
This study is significant because it could lead to a more personalised approach to treating liver cancer. By understanding which patients are likely to respond to immunotherapy, doctors could tailor treatments more effectively, potentially improving outcomes and reducing unnecessary side effects. Additionally, this research could provide valuable insights into the biological mechanisms of how and why immunotherapy works in certain cases of HCC, leading to advancements in cancer treatment strategies.
In summary, this research aims to enhance our understanding of liver cancer treatment, specifically in predicting and improving patient response to immunotherapy. The findings from this study could have a profound impact on the treatment of liver cancer, offering hope for more effective and personalised care for patients.
Led by Prof Helen Reeves
Serum interleukin 8 – a predictive biomarker for treatments in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma?
One of the priorities within the Newcastle BRC is improving access to research irrespective of age and socioeconomic factors; to move towards a situation where all patients feel empowered to participate in research. There are increasing opportunities for patients to take part in research which is entirely IT-based without any paper documents being used. Not all patients are confident with using technology, particularly in settings (such as research) where they have no or limited experience. Having access to electronic research platforms with tables being readily accessible to patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings will be invaluable.
Liver cancer is a very difficult disease to treat and many people die from the disease. One problem is that the majority of people with liver cancer have it diagnosed when it is advanced and cannot be cured with surgery. Another problem is that it is difficult to treat with drugs, as the cancers aren’t sensitive to them, or sometimes the side effects are just too great. Recently a new drug regime called ‘atezo/bev’ has proved to be very successful for around 25%, but at the expense of 75%, who don’t benefit experience adverse side effects. Atezo/bev can awaken the immune system and damage blood vessel formation in the tumours and we think that it is the types of immune cells in the tumour that determine if a person will respond to atezo/bev, but we don’t like to biopsy tumours as they can bleed. However, we have shown that a protein called interleukin-8, released from these tumour immune cells, is much higher in some patients with advanced cancers. Many of our patients, receiving different kinds of treatments, have donated their blood samples for research. We know what treatment they had and how they have done. We want to test if it can also be a blood test that will help us identify those who atezo/bev will benefit, and those where it will do more harm than good.
PhD Studentship supervised by Dr Sam Orange
Postdiagnosis physical activity and hepatocellular carcinoma outcomes
Higher levels of physical activity before a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnosis is associated with a reduced risk of HCC-specific death. Evidence in other cancer types, and our own preclinical studies, shows that physical activity after a diagnosis is associated with improved overall survival and may improve HCC outcomes in people with chronic liver disease.
The primary aim for this studentship is to determine the association between postdiagnosis physical activity and HCC outcomes (progression-free survival, overall survival, fitness for second-line therapy). This studentship will also explore the association between attributes of walking (frequency, volume, pattern, variability) and HCC outcomes. It will also assess the agreement between device-based physical activity and self-reported physical activity.
Physical activity will be assessed with a state-of-the-art Inertial Measurement Unit worn continuously for seven days and self-reported physical activity will be assessed with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire,
The findings may support the delivery of physical activity as an adjuvant intervention to improve outcomes and prolong survival in patients treated for HCC. This would bring huge benefits to a patient group with significant unmet needs.
Meet our Researchers
PhD Student Georgia
NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre Liver theme has six PhD studentships, Georgia is a first year PhD student in the Translational and Clinical Research Institute at Newcastle University within the Liver Disease Research Group (LDRG) headed by Professor Quentin M Anstee.
Hi, my name is Georgia, I am particularly interested in the underlying genetics of liver disease in a way that directly translates to a clinical setting towards better diagnosis and new therapeutics development. My PhD is focused on Metabolic dysfunction-associated liver disease (MASLD), formerly known as NAFLD. MASLD is a term used to describe a range of conditions caused by fat building up within the liver, that then progresses to cirrhosis and liver cancer. MASLD affects ~25% of people worldwide. Most patients will only experience mild disease; however, a small number progress to advanced disease stages including inflammation (steatohepatitis), tissue scaring (fibrosis) and cirrhosis, which over time can lead to liver failure and cancer. Currently there is a need for better ways to diagnosis MASLD, risk stratify patients and to treat them. There is no medication to delay, halt or reverse cirrhosis so often liver transplantation is the only option. Through my research I aim to find changes in small sections of DNA, called genes, and related proteins whilst investigating how these changes are responsible some MASLD patients progressing to cirrhosis and its complications. By improving our understanding of the role of these genes and proteins involved in the MASLD disease progression, this project’s goal is to contribute to improved patient care by providing biomarkers that can diagnose patients earlier, to group patients based on their risk of developing severe disease outcomes and to discover new therapeutic targets for cirrhosis treatment.