NUS researchers develop new imaging approach to diagnose advanced form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Published: 14 Mar 2023
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common chronic liver disease in the world. In its advanced form, Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), is curable when diagnosed and treated in its early stages. However, when left untreated, it could progress to the irreversible stage of liver cirrhosis and cancer, making early diagnosis imperative.
However, to date, the only form of diagnosis is via a liver biopsy, which is often painful and invasive to patients.
To tackle this issue, Assistant Professor Wang Jiong-Wei from the Department of Surgery and NanoMedicine Translational Research Programme at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), in collaboration with Professor Liu Bin from Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore, led a team to develop an enzyme-sensitive nanoprobe to improve the accuracy and sensitivity of diagnosing NASH using a Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique. This study is published in ACS Nano.
The nanoprobe contains an enzyme substrate that would bind to the oxidative enzyme myeloperoxidase (MPO) in the liver. MPO are biological molecules in the body that signal disease, and in the liver of a NASH patient, it is present in high amounts. The nanoprobe will then emit a signal that can be readily detected by MRI techniques, providing more sensitive MRI data for the diagnosis of NASH.
Researchers are currently conducting follow-up studies to validate the effectiveness of the nanoprobe. This diagnostic tool can be combined with new drugs to monitor the treatment responses of NASH patients.
“This discovery emphasises the importance of Nanomedicine as a platform with two pillars – diagnosis and therapy. It is only with detailed and accurate diagnosis that effective treatment can follow,” said Professor Wang, co-lead author of the study.
Read more in the press release.
