Pandra: A low-cost test for patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Summary

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is caused by fat build-up in the liver and is now the most common liverrelated disease, estimated to afflict 1 in 3 global adults. Roughly 1 in 5 of these patients will progress to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) which, if undetected, can further progress to irreversible and life-threatening liver damage. Early identification of NAFLD/NASH is essential to reverse progression of the disease. However, the vast majority of early-stage patients are undiagnosed. Therefore, there is a significant need for new tests that can help identify NAFLD/NASH in high-risk populations, and triage them to apply the proper care.

Rosa Biotech is a University of Bristol spinout company whose mission is to provide doctors and patients with lowcost tests for the early detection of NAFLD/NASH and other common long-term disorders. We achieve this through our sensing technology, Pandra, which detects changes in the fat composition of a patient’s blood that occur
during many diseases, such as NAFLD/NASH. This study will test the ability of Pandra to detect and stage NAFLD/NASH by analysing blood samples in the NAFLD BioResource. Through this study, we hope to deliver doctors with a new low-cost tool for triaging NAFLD/NASH patients in primary care.

Participation: The BioResource will provide samples from 300 participants from the NAFLD BioResource.

Organisation: This study is organised by Dr Mark Street-Docherty from Rosa Biotech.