New treatments

[CHRISR999]

Hello everyone. I read the other day that there hope and new treatments coming through. One is where you swallow tiny pellets that sit in your gut. They absorb toxins to take the burden off the liver. And the other one is like a dialysis machine but for the liver.. As far as I know there in trails. The shocking figure of 800 million people world wide has some form of liver disease without even knowing. Thats about 1 in 10 of the population. Something needs to be done very fast.

[Hidden]

Hello,

You are absolutely correct in saying something needs to be done fast. This is why we have the Sound the Alarm campaign - earlier diagnosis of liver disease.

britishlivertrust.org.uk/so...

Let us hope that action will follow words.

regards

[CHRISR999 in reply to Hidden]

It's ok sounding the alarm but it's obvious not getting heard. Booze equal money. And money equal rich n wealth. Discussing tbh

[Str8jacket]

Sounds like you came across Yaqrit's press release on Carbalive and Dialive. Both very interesting. Would be nice to have more HE treatments around--functioning dialysis would be great for those in acute liver failure, though the liver shortage might limit the impact of that tech. These, and all other possible treatments in research, are unfortunately at best many years from being available to patients.

There are some great organizations doing tremendous work on liver education/advocacy (like the BLT). What's missing is a patient/ally organization devoted to pushing research, like you see with every cancer, Alzheimer's, etc. If liver patients and their families don't organize and demand liver disease be addressed and raise funds for cutting edge research that is too risky/not profitable enough (i.e., not based on patentable technology/drugs) for big corporations, I'm not sure treatments for liver disease will get the attention they need or be developed any time soon.

Other interesting research I'm aware of:

Phase II trials for macrophage therapy to clear liver scar tissue, in Edinburgh (prob a very long shot)

Phase II trials for fecal transplants to treat HE, in USA (Virginia)

Phase II trials to create mini-livers in lymph nodes to boost liver function, in USA (Pennsylvania)

Stem cell trials, as far as I know, have all been quite disappointing. Some have suggested short term improvements in certain liver function markers, but none have shown scarring reversal or any survival benefit.

Would be nice to hear good news on this treatment front more often, it's been decades since there was any advancement in cirrhosis treatment.