2000 volunteers for NAFLD BioResource

The Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) BioResource recruits its 2000th volunteer at the Royal Free Hospital, London.

This milestone is possible due to the recruitment efforts of over 50 NHS sites across the UK.

NAFLD BioResource is one of the NIHR BioResource’s common disease programmes. It is a collaboration of three hubs, led by NIHR Biomedical Research Centres (BRC), in Birmingham, Newcastle and Nottingham.

The NAFLD BioResource recruits patients who have a diagnosis of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. NAFLD represents a spectrum of liver diseases, from simple steatosis (fatty liver) through to advanced cirrhosis (scarring of liver tissue). Patients with any stage of NAFLD are eligible to take part.

The aim is to help research into the causes of NAFLD and understand if there are any links to severity of NAFLD or response to treatment. By doing this, we can begin to identify better treatments to reduce the effects of NAFLD, or provide a cure.

Left to right: Victoria Nudd, Lead Hepatology Clinical Nurse Specialist. Audrey Esson, Senior Hepatology Research Nurse. Prof. Emmanouil Tsochatzis, Professor of Hepatology, Principal Investigator NAFLD BioResource Study. Dr Atul Goyle, Consultant and Metabolic Medicine

Commenting on their involvement, Professor of Hepatology and NAFLD BioResource Principal Investigator at the Royal Free Hospital, Emmanuel Tsochatzis said:

“Although NAFLD is the most prevalent liver disease worldwide, there are still several unanswered questions on its pathophysiology, natural history and the factors that can accelerate or hinder disease progression. Large scale projects such as the NAFLD BioResource can help answer these questions and benefit patients in the mid- and long term. It was very important for the Royal Free to get involved, as we serve a big population of patients with NAFLD, and we are very keen to provide opportunities for them to be involved in research.”

The NAFLD BioResource 2000th volunteer

The NIHR BioResource is a partnership of over 200,000 volunteers, researchers, clinicians and others in hospitals, charities, patient groups, universities and companies, working together to search for the causes of disease and for new treatments. Everyone who volunteers makes the most important contribution to the search for better diagnosis and treatment. Without participants, research cannot progress.

Looking forward to the year ahead, the hubs hope to increase the number of sites recruiting to the NAFLD BioResource and to reach out to researchers who may be interested in using this large cohort of NAFLD patients for new research projects. Researchers who are interested having their research supported by the NIHR BioResource can apply to access data, samples or recall volunteers to their studies or clinical trials.

To express interest in joining or using the NAFLD BioResource or just to learn more, visit its dedicated website or contact the team at uhb-tr.nafldbioresource@nhs.net.

If you are not living with NAFLD you can still contribute to health research by registering your interest in joining our general population cohort.