Finding new ways to detect liver scarring after a transplant
Official title: Novel Biomarkers for Post-Liver Transplant NASH Fibrosis
Funded at University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh · NIH-11094044 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks for new signs in your blood to help predict and understand liver scarring that can happen after a liver transplant for fatty liver disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project start | July 18, 2022 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $697,731 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK130294-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11094044 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients who have undergone a liver transplant for fatty liver disease and are at risk for or have developed recurrent NASH fibrosis would be ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who have not had a liver transplant or do not have fatty liver disease would likely not directly benefit from this specific research.
What this research studies
Many people who receive a liver transplant for fatty liver disease can develop new liver scarring, called NASH fibrosis, afterward. This can be hard to detect early and manage effectively. Our team is working to find new ways to spot these changes using simple blood tests. We believe that by looking at tiny protein fragments in the blood, we can find early clues about who might develop this scarring and how it progresses. This could lead to better ways to manage your liver health after a transplant.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to easier, less invasive tests to predict and monitor liver scarring after a transplant, allowing for earlier treatment.
How similar studies have gone: While the specific approach of using the ECM degradome for post-LT NASH fibrosis biomarkers is novel, the concept of using blood-based biomarkers for liver disease is an active area of research with some promising results.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Arteel, Gavin E — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Arteel, Gavin E
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Innate and Adaptive Immunoregulation in Liver Transplant Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury
A liver transplant-focused project investigates how the body’s early and later immune responses affect transplant failure or success after reperfusion.
-
Biomarker-guided reduction of immunosuppression after liver transplant
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Understanding how liver disease progresses in people waiting for a liver transplant
A study will build a knowledge base that maps how liver disease worsens over time in patients on the transplant waitlist to improve care and planning.
-
Biomarkers to tailor liver transplant immunosuppression
A multi-center study using blood biomarkers to guide how immunosuppressive drugs are given to liver transplant patients.
-
Pre-Transplant Immune Health Marker Panel to Predict Liver Transplant Outcomes
A patient-facing biomarker test used before liver transplant to help doctors estimate the risk of early death after the transplant.
-
Thinking skills and self-care after a liver transplant
This project follows people who received liver transplants to learn how changes in thinking and memory affect managing medicines, clinic visits, and overall health.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.