Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure: Year for Collaborative Research

The definition and research framework for acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) remain fragmented across different regions of the world. The primary objective is to bring together global experts, field leaders, and researchers to work collaboratively toward a unified understanding of ACLF. ACLF should be recognized as a single disease entity—similar to acute liver failure (ALF) or other well-defined disease etiologies—with clearly established diagnostic criteria, standardized therapeutic algorithms, and uniform patient management pathways. Such harmonization will facilitate collaborative research, attract industry support, enable competitive research funding, and, most importantly, represent a critical step toward improving patient survival and outcomes in this high-mortality condition. Key topics addressed in this session include: Gut failure in ACLF and critically-ill patients with cirrhosis Immune failure in ACLF and advanced cirrhosis Nontransplant therapeutic strategies in ACLF Transplant decision-making in ACLF Biomarkers/models for prediction and prognostication in ACLF