Liver Investigation: Testing Marker Utility in Steatohepatitis (LITMUS)

MASLD (previously NAFLD) occurs when fat builds up in the liver. In some people, it progresses to a more serious condition called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH, formerly NASH), raising the risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer. MASLD is increasingly common, affecting around 25-30% of the adult population worldwide. Yet it is challenging for physicians to identify which MASLD patients will go on to develop MASH, and to predict how quickly the disease will progress. Currently this requires liver biopsy, which is invasive, resource-intensive, and carries a risk of complications to the patient, in addition to be susceptible to sampling bias and so may not be representative of the whole liver. There is an unmet need for non-invasive biomarkers that can reduce our reliance on biopsies.

We are proud to be a partner of the LITMUS consortium collaboration. The goal of the project is to identify, develop and validate non-invasive blood tests and imaging techniques that can accurately stage the severity of liver fibrosis in people with MASLD. A large variety of imaging biomarkers will be included using techniques such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Magnetic Resonance Elastography (MRE) and ultrasound elastography.

Antaros Medical has been responsible for delivering imaging biomarkers from advanced techniques like magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI).

The LITMUS project brings together 47 partners across academia, research organisations, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs).

This project has received funding from the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking under grant agreement No. 777377. This Joint Undertaking receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and EFPIA.

Link to IMI website: https://www.imi.europa.eu/
Link to LITMUS website: https://litmus-project.eu/
Link to IMI Project Factsheet: https://www.imi.europa.eu/projects-results/project-factsheets/litmus

LITMUS Consortium partners:

• Coordinator: University Of Newcastle Upon Tyne
• Lead: Pfizer
• Partners: Abbvie, Amsterdam UMC, Antaros Medical, Asociacion Centro De Investigacion Cooperativa En Biociencias, Assistance Publique Hopitaux De Paris, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASD), Echosens, Eli Lilly & Company, Ellegaard Göttingen Minipigs, Ethniko Kai Kapodistriako Panepistimio Athinon, Fondation Cardiometabolisme Nutrition, Genfit, Gilead Sciences, Histoindex, Incercept Pharma, Ixscient, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Linkopings Universitet, Luxembourg Institute Of Health, Nordic Bioscience, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, One Way Liver, Orebro University, Perspectum, Research Triangle Institute, Resoundant, Servicio Andaluz De Salud, Somalogic, Takeda, UMC Utrecht, Universitaetsklinikum Aachen, Universitaet Bern, The University Of Birmingham, University of Cambridge, Universita Cattolica Del Sacro Cuore, Universite D’Angers, Universita Degli Studi Di Milano, Universita Degli Studi Di Palermo, Universita Degli Studi Di Torino, University of Helsinki, Universidade De Lisboa, The University Of Nottingham, University of Oxford, Universitaetsklinikum Wuerzburg, Universitair Ziekenhuis Antwerpen

Publications

Pavlides M, Mózes FE, Akhtar S, Wonders K, Cobbold J, Tunnicliffe EM, Allison M, Godfrey EM, Aithal GP, Francis S, Romero-Gomez M, Castell J, Fernandez-Lizaranzu I, Aller R, Sigüenza González R, Agustin S, Pericás JM, Boursier J, Aube C, Ratziu V, Wagner M, Petta S, Antonucci M, Bugianesi E, Faletti R, Miele L, Geier A, Schattenberg JM, Tilman E, Ekstedt M, Lundberg P, Berzigotti A, Huber AT, Papatheodoridis G, Yki-Järvinen H, Porthan K, Schneider M, Hockings P, Shumbayawonda E, Banerjee R, Pepin K, Kalutkiewicz M, Ehman RL, Trylesinki A, Coxson HO, LITMUS Consortium Investigators, Martic M, Yunis C, Tuthill T, Bossuyt PM, Anstee QM, Neubauer S, Harrison S., 2023. Liver investigation: Testing marker utility in steatohepatitis (LITMUS): Assessment & validation of imaging modality performance across the NAFLD spectrum in a prospectively recruited cohort study (the LITMUS imaging study): Study protocol. Contemp Clin Trials.

Selvaraj EA, Mózes FE, Jayaswal ANA, Zafarmand MH, Vali Y, Lee JA, Levick CK, Young LAJ, Palaniyappan N, Liu C-H, Aithal GP, Romero-Gómez M, Brosnan MJ, Tuthill TA, Anstee QM, Neubauer S, Harrison SA, Bossuyt PM, Pavlides M, LITMUS Investigators. 2021. Diagnostic accuracy of elastography and magnetic resonance imaging in patients with NAFLD: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J. Hepatol. 

Mózes FE, Lee JA, Selvaraj EA, Jayaswal ANA, Trauner M, Boursier J, Fournier C, Staufer K, Stauber RE, Bugianesi E, Younes R, Gaia S, Lupșor-Platon M, Petta S, Shima T, Okanoue T, Mahadeva S, Chan WK, Eddowes PJ, Newsome PN, Wong VW, de Ledinghen V, Fan J, Shen F, Cobbold JF, Sumida Y, Okajima A, Schattenberg JM, Labenz C, Kim W, Lee MS, Wiegand J, Karlas T, Yılmaz Y, Aithal GP, Palaniyappan N, Cassinotto C, Aggarwal S, Garg H, Ooi GJ, Nakajima A, Yoneda M, Ziol M, Barget N, Geier A, Tuthill T, Brosnan MJ, Anstee QM, Neubauer S, Harrison SA, Bossuyt PM, Pavlides M; LITMUS Investigators. 2022. Diagnostic accuracy of non-invasive tests for advanced fibrosis in patients with NAFLD: an individual patient data meta-analysis. Gut.