New Blood Protein Markers Could Foresee Liver Disease Years in Advance

Recent research has unveiled that specific blood proteins can indicate an individual's risk of developing severe liver disease up to 16 years prior to the onset of any symptoms. This groundbreaking study, presented at the Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2025, highlights the potential for early intervention and treatment strategies.

The focus of the study is metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), which has become increasingly prevalent globally. This condition poses a significant health risk, with affected individuals facing mortality rates that are nearly double those without the disease.

Researchers from Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital in China emphasized the urgency of identifying effective biomarkers that can facilitate early detection of liver disease. They noted that many individuals remain unaware of their risk until they experience significant symptoms. The findings from this study suggest that plasma proteins could serve as innovative indicators for early prediction and intervention.

The study involved an analysis of blood samples from over 50,000 participants in the UK Biobank, tracking their health data for more than 16 years. By examining levels and combinations of proteins in the blood, researchers identified five key proteins--CDHR2, FUOM, KRT18, ACY1, and GGT1--that serve as early indicators for MASLD.

The predictive model developed from the levels of these proteins demonstrated an impressive accuracy rate of 83.8% for predicting the disease five years before its onset, and 75.6% accuracy for predictions made 16 years in advance. When clinical factors such as body mass index and daily physical activity were incorporated into the model, accuracy rates rose to 90.4% for five years and 82.2% for 16 years.

Further validation of this predictive model was conducted with a separate cohort in China, reinforcing the model's reliability across different populations.

It is important to note that while this observational study presents promising findings, it does not establish a direct causal relationship between the identified plasma proteins and the development of liver disease. Ongoing research is expected to delve deeper into the underlying mechanisms.

For further details, refer to Abstract 323: Plasma proteomic profiles predict metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease up to 16 years before onset.