Multidiciplinary tumor boards (MDTBs) are pivotal for liver cancer treatment, especially given the significant transformation in the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment paradigm in recent years. Perons with HCC are often faced with competing mortalities—advanced liver disease and advanced cancer—neccessitating treatment options grounded in preserving liver function and quality of life.

Connect with topic experts to discuss the evolution and restructuring of MDTBs in the context of hepatobiliary malignancies. Faculty review data demonstrating that MDTBs enhance evidence-based practices, guideline implementation, and the likelihood of curative options while preserving quality of life. Presenters discuss the need for MDTBs to adapt as the treatment landscape for primary liver cancer grows increasingly intricate, propelled by an expanding array of systemic and locoregional therapies and advancements in molecular biology.

Speakers highlight the necessity of reimagining MDTB structures to seamlessly integrate cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence, molecular biology, digital pathology, and advanced imaging. Faculty also address the optimal composition of the next generation of MDTBs, and how the establishment these boards holds the promise of advancing precision medicine, catalyzing research, and driving clinical trials to address unmet needs while redefining the multidisciplinary care paradigm for liver cancers. Speakers review real-world cases to highlight various treatment strategies in persons presenting with different stages of liver cancer.

United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) performance metrics—including wait list mortality rate ratio and offer acceptance rate ratio—are reshaping how liver transplant programs manage access and equity while optimizing performance. Join expert faculty to discuss approaches to optimizing these pretransplant metrics through risk stratification, transplant readiness workflows, and thoughtful timing of listing and delisting. Presenters emphasize wait list management for low MELD as well as acute-on-chronic liver failure grade 3 patients based on clinical trajectory and transplantability, highlighting how these strategies may differ across small and large transplant centers due to ability to absorb clinical risk. 

Join experts to discuss advances in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) management among persons with current or prior hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Presenters highlight updated American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases guidelines including the optimal timing of HCV treatment and post sustained virologic response (SVR) HCC surveillance. Other topics include the epidemiology of HCC in persons with chronic or prior HCV infection, and whether fibrosis regression following SVR affects HCC screening or surveillance interverals.

This timely expert session provides attendees opportunities to share their experiences and challenges regarding the implementation of telehealth in their hepatology practices. Faculty review a range of topics including: updated 2026 national policies around telehealth; evidence for implementing telehealth (eg, viral hepatitis, cirrhosis, metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease, liver transplant); and existing models and toolkits. Experts feature case reviews of common challenges in implementing telehealth in practice as a way of introducing the topic and framing the discussion. This session is ideal for trainees, early-career or established clinicians/researchers, and policymakers who aspire to learn more about telehealth implementation and increasing health care access through telemedicine/telehealth.

Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is a leading cause of chronic liver injury worldwide and comprises a range of disorders including simple steatosis, steatohepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. This session explores various animal models that have been developed for the study of ALD pathogenesis.

Presenters review a recently developed chronic plus binge ethanol feeding model, which induces significant steatosis, hepatic neutrophil infiltration, and liver injury. Another clinically relevant model of high-fat diet feeding plus binge ethanol has also been developed, which highlights the risk of excessive binge drinking in overweight or obese individuals. Speakers discuss how various animal models recapitulate some features of the different stages of ALD, and their use to study ALD pathogenesis and to test for therapeutic drugs/components. Experts additionally review variability in these models—depending on mouse genetic background, ethanol dose, and animal facility environment—and their importance in addressing the pathogenesis, clinical relevance, and therapeutic advances in ALD.

Multiple gene therapies have been approved in recent years by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a variety of inherited disorders, including:

• Duchenne muscular dystrophy (delandistrogene moxeparvovec-rokl, 2023)
• Hemophilia A (valoctocogene roxaparvovec-rvox, 2023)
• Hemophilia B (etranacogene dezaparvovec-drlb, 2022; fidanacogene elaparvovec-dzkt, 2024)
• Spinal muscular atrophy (onasemnogene abeparvovec-brve, 2025)
• Sickle cell disease (exagamglogene autotemcel, 2023).

Many other gene therapies are in the clinical trial phase of development. Join expert faculty to discuss this cutting-edge therapeutic modality. Speakers explore different mechanisms of delivery of gene therapy, including adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector delivery—currently the predominant delivery mechanism in approved gene therapeutics and those in clinical trials, although this may change in the future—as well as ex vivo gene editing, and lipid nanoparticles. Presenters highlight clinical challenges related to the potential for serious toxicity associated with gene therapy, particularly hepatotoxicity that may cause acute liver failure in a small number of patients.

Join this expert session to discuss how metabolic dysregulation modulates the immune response. Topics addressed include:

• The immunological landscape in metabolic liver diseases
• Mechanisms linking metabolic injury to inflammation, such as lactate and fatty acid modulation of immune cells and cholesterol-driven inflammasome activation
• Potential targets for therapeutic intervention
• Challenges in immunoregulatory strategies

Join experts for this cutting-edge session that focuses on use of systems biology and artificial intelligence tools (eg, virtual liver and digital twins) in liver disease research. Discussion topics include: how to build an omics-based liver; how to represent central physiologic functions under normal and pathologic conditions; key parameters that influence modeling; and use of virtual livers to predict clinical outcomes.

Congenital portosystemic shunts (CPSSs) are an underdiagnosed vascular malformation causing portomesenteric blood to partially or completely bypass the liver. These shunts are associated with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, some of which are life threatening such as portopulmonary hypertension and liver malignancies. Additionally, persons with CPSS may present with renal, endocrine, or neurologic signs and symptoms. Diagnostic delay is common owing to the nonspecific presentation.

The Pediatric Special Interest Group presents this expert session that utilizes an informal, small-group forum for in-depth discussion of CPSS with recognized leaders in pediatric hepatology and surgery, and interventional radiology. Presenters explore real-world challenges faced by clinicians tackling the management of complex patients with CPSS. Topics include management of the multiple clinical manifestations associated with CPSS, how and when to close shunts, and long-term follow-up. The session equips attendees with the tools necessary to ensure safe and effective management of patients with CPSS to improve long-term outcomes.

The recent wealth of new clinical trial data addressing the treatment of persons living with hepatitis B virus (HBV) moninfection, and HBV and hepatitis D virus (HDV) coinfection has fueled excitement among clinicians regarding the prospect of cures for HBV infection and HBV/HDV coinfection. This expert session focuses on new treatments for HBV monoinfection and HBV/HDV coinfection including:

• Capsid assembly modulators (CAMs; eg, pevifoscorvir)
• Small interfereing RNA (SiRNA; eg, elebsiran) and antisense oligonucleotides (ASO; eg, bepirovirsen)
• Monoclonal hepatitis B surface (HBs) antibodies (eg, tobevibart)
• Gene editing nucleases (eg, PBGENE-HBV)
• Other novel therapies

Discussion leaders present a representative case and integrate new clinical trial data to illustrate the role of newer therapies for persons living with HBV or HBV/HDV infection.