MASLD molecular map and FIB‑4 risk study advance diagnosis and cancer surveillance

Researchers from Open Targets, EMBL‑EBI, the University of Cambridge and collaborators published a molecular map of disease progression in Metabolic dysfunction‑Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) in Nature Metabolism. The study integrates patient data to chart a continuous trajectory of gene‑expression changes and identifies a panel of plasma proteins that predict disease stage more accurately than current non‑invasive tests, offering a framework for precision monitoring and future targeted therapies.

In a separate nationwide cohort of 810,698 MASLD patients without cirrhosis, serial measurements of the fibrosis‑4 (FIB‑4) score over three years were linked to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk. Persistent high FIB‑4 scores conferred a 14‑fold higher risk of HCC, while improvements in the score markedly reduced risk, indicating that repeated FIB‑4 testing can better identify high‑risk individuals for cancer surveillance.