Laboratory medical mortality prediction in liver diseases

​​​​​​​​​Patients in the final stages of liver disease have a high risk of mortality. The only causal therapy for many patients is liver transplantation, which requires a valid assessment of the prognosis. In the Eurotransplant area, the prognosis is currently estimated according to the MELD-Score (Model of end-stage liver disease). The MELD-Score is based on the blood concentrations of bilirubin, creatinine and a coagulation test, the International Normalized Ratio (prothrombin time). The usual methods of measuring these laboratory medical parameters are susceptible to interference and therefore limited in their informative value. The aim of this research focus is to show the limitations of current diagnostics and to identify new, promising laboratory medical scores and biomarkers for the assessment of mortality risk. For this purpose, a biobank with currently >10.000 samples from patients with indications for MELD diagnostics has been established. An identified prognostic biomarker (cholesterol esterification rate) and a corresponding new clinical-chemical test are already about to be translated into clinical diagnostics. In addition, findings from research on amino acid metabolism, bioactive phospholipids and inflammation in these patients can be used for the development of new therapeutic options. Our research is to facilitate a more precise diagnostics to prioritize patients for liver transplantation.​

Please send enquiries to: thorsten.kaiser@medizin.uni-leipzig.de