New blood test to detect hidden liver disease

Many Danes live with fatty liver disease without knowing it. In rare cases, the condition can develop into cirrhosis or liver cancer – but today, it is still difficult to predict who is at risk. A new research project aims to change that.

Professor Maja Thiele from the Department of Medical Gastroenterology at Odense University Hospital and FLASH Centre for Liver Research at the University of Southern Denmark is one of the driving forces behind the LOTUS-Biomarker project.

The project will develop a blood test that combines advanced molecular analysis and artificial intelligence to predict how fatty liver disease is likely to progress in individual patients.

Towards personalised treatment

The blood test technology combines genetic data with measurements of thousands of lipids and proteins. But the complexity of the data means that doctors currently lack the tools to translate it into meaningful insights about an individual patient’s risk. That’s where the project’s software solution, LiverTRACK, comes in.

– As doctors, we’ve long wanted a more accurate way to identify who is at risk of developing serious liver disease later in life. By combining genetics with biological analyses of thousands of lipids and proteins, we’re beginning to understand the disease and how it progresses. But the wealth of test results will only benefit patients if we have tools to make sense of what this tsunami of data actually means. Only then can we tailor treatments to each patient – and help them avoid illness and suffering, says Maja Thiele.

Backed by Innovation Fund Denmark

Innovation Fund Denmark is investing DKK 15.6 million in the five-year project, which builds on a comprehensive research database of more than 6,000 residents from Funen. The goal is to develop a clinical solution that can be widely implemented across the Danish healthcare system.