The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Seeks Industry Partners for Clinical Research Collaborations on Therapeutics, Diagnostics or Devices for the Liver Cirrhosis Network

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) is seeking industry partners for clinical research collaborations on therapeutics, diagnostics, or devices for the Liver Cirrhosis Network. The goal of the network is to promote clinical and translational research that will advance the understanding of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis pathophysiology, improve clinical management of liver cirrhosis and complications of advanced fibrosis, and conduct clinical trials to alter cirrhosis liver disease trajectory and related complications. • Evaluate the natural history, pathogenesis, diagnosis, genetic factors, genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, epigenomics, imaging studies, and determinants of progression and severity of advanced liver disease and cirrhosis-related complications • Explore use of serum markers for fibrosis and serum markers for disease activity to predict hepatic histology or function • Explore the utility of these serum markers as surrogate markers of therapeutic response in study subjects participating in treatment trials • Investigate proprietary or repurposed drugs, reagents, or devices in controlled randomized clinical trials as potential diagnostics or therapies for advanced liver disease, cirrhosis, and cirrhosis-related complications • Evaluate noninvasive imaging methods for assessing fibrosis, portal vein hypertension, hepatic function, screening for or diagnosis of liver cancer, and parenchymal pathology in cirrhosis liver disease • Evaluate the use of cytokine assays for analyses of serum/plasma cytokine levels as markers of disease activity and as surrogate markers of histologic or clinical improvement in therapeutic trials