Novel, Less Invasive Assay Can Diagnose NAFLD

Researchers have worked toward the first-ever antibody-free biomarker assay as a less invasive alternative for diagnosing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Information on the assay was presented by Bevin Gangadharan on August 10, 2017, at the 5th World Congress on Hepatitis & Liver Diseases in London.

Liver biopsy is the reference standard for the diagnosis and staging of NAFLD. However, NAFLD can be assessed less invasively by using immunoassays to detect serum biomarkers. Although biomarkers can degrade and go undetected in antibody-based assays, this can be overcome by using mass spectrometry (MS) to detect biomarkers.
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For their study, the researchers used MS and 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis to find differences in the amount of proteins found in serum samples of patients with varying NAFLD and fibrosis stages. The stages evaluated were non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), F0, NASH F1, and NASH F3, as well as healthy individuals.

Ultimately, the researchers found that certain proteins identified with the assay through MS and Western blotting were potential NAFLD biomarkers. Compared with cytokeratin-18 and the protein markers used in NashTest, these NAFLD and liver fibrosis biomarkers appeared promising.

Additionally, according to Gangadharan, the assay is 9 times faster than conventional quantitation by MS, making it applicable for clinical use. The assay is also the only one in existence that can analyze all points of the calibration curve and determine the absolute concentration of the NAFLD biomarker in a single acquisition.

“We are working towards the first ever antibody-free biomarker assay for NAFLD,” Gangadharan concluded. “Our assay may help reduce the need for invasive liver biopsies in NAFLD patients.”

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Gangadharan B. Towards the first antibody-free serum biomarker assay for NAFLD. Paper presented at: 5th World Congress on Hepatitis & Liver Diseases; August 10-12, 2017. London, UK. http://hepatitis.conferenceseries.com/abstract/2017/towards-the-first-antibody-free-serum-biomarker-assay-for-nafld.