Justification for use of non-histopathological approaches for monitoring chronic necro-inflammatory liver diseases is based on comparison to traditional pathology.  Recent advances in cross-platform analyses enable a unique integrated approach to study liver-based immune responses while (1) retaining a micron-level spatial context resolution scale; (2) incorporating multiplex labeling, digital imaging and analysis; (3) mRNA expression and mutational profiling;  and (4) serology.

Value-based arrangements are a rising trend in healthcare. Providers in all professional settings are learning to adapt and thrive in this new landscape. This program will educate and empower hepatologists to contribute to successful, value-based care arrangements, including talks on the role that clinical trials and palliative care can play in value preservation at all stages of liver disease.

It is absolutely essential to foster health disparities research to reduce disparities, and improve outcomes among ethnic and racial groups with a higher burden of liver disease, and expand the pool of under-represented minorities (URM) within hepatology. The Diversity Workshop’s goals are to educate practitioners, provide tools to develop diverse clinical and research programs, and promote cultural competency within hepatology.

How can gut-liver axis disruption trigger progression of chronic liver disease? Gain deeper insights on the gut-liver axis, an essential reciprocal interaction between the gut, microbiota and the liver. Presentations cover how bile acids regulate the composition of microbiota and intestinal barrier function, and how gut products regulate bile acid synthesis, and glucose and lipid metabolism in the liver.

The healthcare burden of alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is rising, especially in younger adults and women, with worrying ethnic and racial disparities in ALD burden. Epidemic metabolic risk factors and obesity seem to drive higher prevalence of both ALD and NAFLD. This symposium will address ALD in special at-risk populations and how hepatologists can effectively diagnose and manage these patients.

Review a condensed summary of the clinical research highlights from The Liver Meeting® 2021. This popular debriefing session summarizes all the important findings in clinical hepatology that were presented this year.

This SIG program shares exciting new discoveries in liver fibrosis related to NASH, such as molecular mechanisms and translational aspects of fibrosis and cirrhosis, and translation of findings into humans. Experts share significant new information on the potential role of hepatocytes and crosstalk with non-parenchymal cells in NASH-fibrosis, with emphasis on molecular mechanisms, and potential non-invasive biomarkers and treatments.

What diagnostic, prevention and therapeutic challenges do global hepatologists face as they manage patients with complex liver conditions in 2021 and beyond? This session will contrast modern hepatology practice in the English- and Spanish/Portuguese-speaking Americas in the strategic management of HBV, including diagnosis challenges and prevention gaps, and NAFLD, including efforts to decrease disease burden.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and alcohol-associated liver disease are two principal causes of advanced liver disease in the U.S., and both contribute heavily to rising incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma. Faculty will identify drivers of disease progression in both diseases, provide guidance on optimal management strategies, and discuss emerging therapeutic options most likely to be in the future treatment armamentarium.

The newest global strategies to manage patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) will be discussed at this intriguing symposium. Topics include the current state of HBV research, surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma in HBV, HBV management during pregnancy, and novel and emerging therapies for both HBV and hepatitis D.