The theranostic potential of microRNAs in liver regeneration

The liver is the only organ which is able to restore its own mass after large parts have been removed. This makes liver resection a widely used and effective treatment for many cancers. Despite improvements in surgical techniques and patient care, postoperative morbidity and mortality after liver resection remain a major concern, leading to liver failure and death in 11- 13% of high-risk patients. There is currently no reliable marker to predict liver complications, nor are there any strategies to improve disease progression. For several years we have been investigating novel methods for detection as well as improvement of therapeutic interventions to prevent liver dysfunction. Recently, we made a significant breakthrough to predict postoperative liver regeneration complications: we could show that microRNAs, which circulate in blood, can predict complications in liver regeneration with a better accuracy than any previously available parameter for liver function. In this project, we plan to evaluate the therapeutic potential of microRNAs in liver regeneration, in order to develop novel treatment strategies for patients. To explore this, we apply modern in vitro techniques as well as animal models to investigate the therapeutic role of microRNAs in liver regeneration processes. The fact that there is currently no treatment option available to support liver regeneration is a major clinical problem. Thus, this project is highly relevant to improve the quality of life and survival of these patients.

The liver is the only organ capable of regenerating its own mass after large portions have been removed. This makes liver resection a commonly used and effective treatment method for many types of cancer. Despite improvements in surgical techniques and patient care, complications still occur frequently, leading to liver failure and death in 11-13% of high-risk patients. Currently, there is no reliable marker to predict liver complications, nor are there methods to improve the disease course. For several years, we have been focused on the early detection and development of new, efficient therapeutic treatments for liver dysfunction. Recently, we achieved a significant breakthrough in predicting postoperative complications in liver regeneration: we were able to demonstrate that microRNAs, which can be easily measured from blood samples, can predict liver regeneration complications with an accuracy that surpasses all previously available parameters for liver function. In this project, we evaluated the therapeutic potential of these microRNAs in liver regeneration in detail, aiming to develop new treatment strategies for patients. Unfortunately, we did not observe an improvement in liver regeneration when we specifically inhibited certain microRNAs. However, we were able to uncover additional signaling pathways that lead to liver failure after liver resection and identify new microRNAs in the liver, as well as establish the microRNA panel as a biomarker for liver diseases. Since the beginning of 2024, this microRNA panel has also been used in hospitals to identify high-risk patients. Our project has thus been able to deliver highly relevant results that could help improve the quality of life and survival chances of these patients.