Liver Disease clinical trials at UC Davis
6 in progress, 3 open to eligible people
NeuroFLiPP: Parametric PET of Neuroinflammation in Fatty Liver Disease
open to eligible people ages 18 years and up
Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias (ADRD) affect about 6 million people in the U.S. and are the fifth leading cause of death for adults over 65. Recent research is investigating how chronic liver diseases like Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD), which affects one-third of the U.S. population, might influence ADRD through the liver-brain axis. MASLD shares risk factors with Alzheimer's, such as diabetes and hypertension, and studies have linked MASLD to increased risks of cognitive decline and ADRD. Mouse-model studies suggest that chronic liver inflammation in MASLD can induce neuroinflammation and accelerate Alzheimer's pathology, highlighting the importance of studying the liver-brain connection to identify new therapeutic targets for ADRD. The goal of this research is to develop a practical PET imaging method using 18F-FDG to simultaneously assess liver and brain inflammation in patients with MASLD-related ADRD. This approach leverages dynamic FDG-PET scanning and advanced tracer kinetic modeling to quantify glucose transport, overcoming limitations of traditional imaging methods that cannot noninvasively assess chronic liver inflammation. The new method aims to enable comprehensive imaging of liver-brain inflammation crosstalk, validated against the 18F-DPA-714 radiotracer. Success in this project could provide a valuable imaging tool for linking liver inflammation with neuroinflammation and cognitive decline, advancing clinical research and potentially uncovering new pathways for ADRD treatment
Sacramento, California
Prescreening Study to Identify Potential Wilson Disease Participants for Gene-Editing Clinical Trial
open to eligible people ages 18 years and up
The aim of this study is to inform and improve future clinical trials in Wilson Disease (WD) by better understanding how patients with WD are living with and managing the disease, and by identifying key factors that shape their decisions to participate in clinical research.
Sacramento, California and other locations
Metabolic Responses to Bariatric Surgery
“Using tissue samples to better understand the metabolism and genetics of obesity”
open to eligible people ages 18-55
Research the genetic and biomechanical markers of human adipose tissue on patients with morbid obesity. Additional tissue/fluid collection is also gathered during the time of surgery.
Sacramento, California
HM15211(Efocipegtrutide) in Subjects
Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients
This study is a phase 2 study to Evaluate Efficacy, Safety and Tolerability of HM15211 Treatment for 12 Months in Subjects with Biopsy Confirmed NASH
Sacramento, California and other locations
Whether Semaglutide Works in People With Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH)
Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients
Semaglutide is a medicine studied in patients with NASH. Semaglutide is a well-known medicine, which is already used by doctors to treat type 2 diabetes in many countries. Participants will either get semaglutide or a dummy medicine - which treatment participants get is decided by chance. Participants will need to inject themselves with medicine under the skin. Participants will need to do this once a week. The study will last for about 5 years. Participants will have up to 21 clinic visits and 9 phone calls with the clinical staff during the study. Some of the clinic visits may be spread over more than one day. Participants with other chronic liver diseases cannot take part in this study. Women cannot take part in the study if they are pregnant, breast-feeding or plan to become pregnant during the study period.
Sacramento, California and other locations
Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Parametric PET (FLiPP) Study
“Comparison of imaging techniques used to evaluate patients with liver disease”
Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients
The goal of this study is to evaluate non-invasive imaging techniques for determining liver steatosis (fat), inflammation (abnormal tissue swelling), and fibrosis (abnormal tissue scarring).In addition, the study group will be using other test measures including personal demographics, laboratory blood test results, and imaging measurements to determine the severity of NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease), NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis), inflammation, and fibrosis.
Sacramento, California
Our lead scientists for Liver Disease research studies include Mohamed R Ali, MD Guobao Wang, PhD.
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