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Portal hypertension is a complication of children with biliary atresia. It results from progression of liver scarring (fibrosis) and can lead to gastrointestinal bleeding and accumulation of fluid in the abdomen (also known as ascites). In this study, investigations from the Childhood Liver Disease Research Network analyzed the blood of patients to identify protein that increase in children with portal hypertension. Investigators analyzed over 1,000 proteins using an assay known as proteomics. Among the proteins that increased in babies with portal hypertension they found that semaphorin 6B (SEMA6B) alone and three other protein combinations (SEMA6B+SFRP3, SEMA6B+COMMD7, and VCAM1+BMX) had high accuracy to identify portal hypertension. Analyzing liver biopsies, the new protein biomarkers showed increased expression in liver vascular cells (endothelial cells), bile duct epithelium (cholangiocytes), and immune cells within portal triads.
Conclusion
Large-scale proteomics identified SEMA6B, SFRP3, COMMD7, BMX, and VCAM1 as biomarkers highly associated with clinical portal hypertension in children with biliary atresia. The expression of the biomarkers in liver epithelial, endothelial, and immune cells support their potential role in the mechanisms that cause portal hypertension.
Arbor Research Collaborative for Health (Arbor Research), a leading provider of innovative solutions in healthcare research, is pleased to announce its participation in the upcoming World Congress of Nephrology (WCN) 2024, scheduled to take place from April 13th to 16th, 2024. The WCN 2024 conference, organized by the International Society of Nephrology (ISN), is a […]
Arbor Research is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Steve Hines, PhD as a Senior Research Scientist focusing on health services research and strategic partnerships. Dr. Hines brings a wealth of experience and expertise, having most recently led learning community activities for the AHRQ-funded TAKEheart project while his work updating AHRQ’s TeamSTEPPS training curriculum […]
Advancing the scientific understanding of kidney disease to inform healthcare practice and policy is at the core of Arbor Research’s history. Founded in 1996 in Ann Arbor, Michigan by three leaders in chronic kidney disease care and research, we were originally named the University Renal Research and Education Association (URREA). Arbor Research’s first project was […]
The Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS) Program at Arbor Research Collaborative for Health is pleased to share their recent publication recognized as one of the most- downloaded articles at Kidney International Reports in the past few weeks titled “Alkaline Phosphatase and Parathyroid Hormone Levels: International Variation and Associations With Clinical Outcomes in the […]