Clin Mol Hepatol.  2019 Mar;25(1):1-11. 10.3350/cmh.2018.0037.

Recent research trends and updates on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Affiliations
  • 1Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, Bucheon, Korea.
  • 2Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul Metropolitan Government Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
  • 3Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea.
  • 4Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University Seoul Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
  • 5Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University Guro Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
  • 6Department of Internal Medicine, Inha University School of Medicine, Incheon, Korea.
  • 7Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. choyk2004.cho@samsung.com
  • 8Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, Seoul, Korea. sanghoon@hallym.or.kr
  • 9Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University Guri Hospital, Guri, Korea. sonjh@hanyang.ac.kr

Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), together with metabolic syndrome and obesity, has shown a rapid increase in prevalence worldwide and is emerging as a major cause of chronic liver disease and liver transplantation. Among the various phenotypes of NAFLD, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is highly likely to progress to development of end-stage liver disease and cardiometabolic disease, resulting in liver-related and non-liver-related mortality. Nonetheless, there is no standardized pharmacotherapy against NASH and many drugs are under development in ongoing clinical trials. To develop a successful anti-NASH drug, it is necessary to select an appropriate target population and treatment outcomes depending on whether the mode of action is anti-metabolic, anti-inflammatory or anti-fibrotic. Recently, innovative surrogate markers have been investigated to replace hard outcomes such as liver histology and mortality and reduce the clinical trial duration. Currently, several drugs with fast track designation are being tested in phase III clinical trials, and many other drugs have moved into phase II clinical trials. Both lean NAFLD and typical obese NAFLD have been extensively studied and genetic variants such as PNPLA3 and TM6SF2 have been identified as significant risk factors for lean NAFLD. In the near future, noninvasive biomarkers and effective targeted therapies for NASH and associated fibrosis are required to develop precision medicine and tailored therapy according to various phenotypes of NAFLD.

Keyword

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis; Clinical trial

MeSH Terms

Biomarkers
Drug Therapy
Fibrosis
Health Services Needs and Demand
Liver
Liver Diseases
Liver Transplantation
Mortality
Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease*
Obesity
Phenotype
Precision Medicine
Prevalence
Risk Factors
Biomarkers
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