Chennai: Scientists have created a novel microbiome-based diagnostic tool that identifies liver fibrosis and cirrhosis over 90 per cent of the time in human patients.
As mentioned in Cell Metabolism, the method relies on an algorithm to analyse patient stool samples that contains traces of what lives in the gut.
The non-invasive method, with the accuracy of the best physicians, quickly and inexpensively, developed by a collaborative team of Salk Institute and UC San Diego scientists could lead to improved patient care and treatment outcomes for liver disease.
According to Salk Professor Ronald Evans, co-corresponding author and holder of the March of Dimes Chair, ‘the microbiome is a dynamic living sensor of small changes in health and disease in the body, and as such, it provides an accurate readout of body health.’
“Because this diagnostic is fast and low-cost, it could be something that becomes widely used, especially in the many areas that lack speciality clinics and physicians. Simply said, it could be a real game changer, with world-wide implications.”
Michael Downes, a Salk senior staff scientist and co-author of the study, said, “we sought to develop a universal, non-invasive test for liver fibrosis and cirrhosis based on a ‘microbiome signature’ of the disease.”
Using data from microbiome genetic profiling and from metabolites from the stool samples, the researchers discovered a microbiome signature that was associated with a cirrhosis diagnosis with 94 percent accuracy. The microbiome signature could also determine the stage of liver fibrosis, which could allow doctors to grade patients based on their stage of the disease and improve treatment strategies.
According to Tae Gyu Oh, first author of the paper and a postdoctoral researcher in the Evans lab, “these findings demonstrate that it is possible to use machine learning to identify a universal signature that can be used for accurate diagnosis of a disease, such as liver cirrhosis.”
Chronic liver disease represents a major global public health problem affecting an estimated 844 million people, according to the World Health Organisation.