ELPA Educational Training - DAY 1
‘Therapies for acute decompensation of cirrhosis and ACLF, research needs and outlook.’ Under this title, ELPA presented, on June 9, 2021, its first Educational Day dedicated to DECISION, MICROB-PREDICT, and A-TANGO, all projects ELPA is involved in.
Three EU-funded research projects, MICROB-PREDICT, DECISION, and A-TANGO, joined forces to improve the prevention and treatment of cirrhosis. All three consortia aim to understand the disease better, identify biomarkers and mechanisms that predict when the body can no longer compensate for the dysfunctional liver (decompensated cirrhosis) when decompensated cirrhosis progresses to acute on chronic liver failure (ACLF), and patient’s individual treatment response. They strive to develop novel diagnostic tools, based on the newly identified biomarkers, for earlier and better patient stratification and to establish personalized and effective treatment strategies. In MICROB-PREDICT, the focus thereby lies on microbiome-based strategies. DECISION aims to identify new combinatorial therapies, and A-TANGO will investigate one specific, promising substance in a clinical trial.
During the meeting, the projects and their implications for the future management of patients with cirrhosis were discussed.
After an introduction by Prof Dr Rajiv Jalan, professor of Hepatology University College London, UK, principal investigator A-TANGO, EF Clif, Barcelona, Spain, the first presentation was made by Prof Dr Pierre-Emmanuel Rautou, professor of Hepatology Hôpital Beaujon, Inserm UMR, France, principal investigator DECISION, EF Clif, Barcelona, Spain. He gave an overview of existing therapies, drugs, and research needs.
Then, Prof Dr Jonel Trebicka, professor of Hepatology Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany, principal investigator MICROB-PREDICT, EF Clif, Barcelona, Spain, presented about candidates/pathways/targets will be important in future, e.g., gut-liver axis, microbiota.
Dr Cornelius Engelmann followed Prof Dr Trebicka. He gave information to the attendees regarding G-TAK as a promising drug candidate in the framework of A-TANGO project.
A questions and answers session, moderated by Mr Marko Korenjak, ELPA President, allowed the participants to go deeper into projects’ details.