Liver Disease
Chronic liver disease is a major cause of poor quality of life and is a contributor to excess death, making it a significant concern for both patients and the NHS.
Our Liver Diseases theme links unique patient cohorts curated by Newcastle with basic research excellence in order to develop, with our partners, novel treatment approaches which we evaluate using our established translational platforms.
How we carry out liver disease research
In our liver disease theme, we explore the contribution that the ageing process makes to the biology of liver disease. To do this, we harness the expertise of Newcastle’s world-class ageing biology research.
The theme is led by Dave Jones OBE; Professor of Liver Immunology and Honorary Consultant Hepatlogist with Newcastle Hospitals. Professor Jones has also held roles as Dean of the NIHR Academy and an NIHR Senior Investigator.
He has an international reputation for his work in autoimmune liver disease and leads the UK-PBC research consortium (MRC Stratified Medicine). UK-PBC has the largest cohort of fully phenotyped primary biliary cholangitis/cirrhosis (PBC) patients.
Deputy Theme Lead is Quentin Anstee, Professor of Experimental Hepatology and an Honorary Consultant Hepatologist at Newcastle Hospitals. He leads one of the largest NAFLD clinical services in the UK.
What we cover in this theme
Newcastle BRC’s Liver Disease Theme studies the following conditions:
- Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC)
- Non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
- Auto immune hepatitis (AIH)
We are researching the mechanisms behind these conditions in order to find treatments that can improve the quality of life for those diagnosed.