Digital liver biopsy: Bio-imaging of fatty liver for translational and clinical research.

Abstract

The rapidly growing field of functional, molecular and structural bio-imaging is providing an extraordinary new opportunity to overcome the limits of invasive liver biopsy and introduce a "digital biopsy" for in vivo study of liver pathophysiology. To foster the application of bio-imaging in clinical and translational research, there is a need to standardize the methods of both acquisition and the storage of the bio-images of the liver. It can be hoped that the combination of digital, liquid and histologic liver biopsies will provide an innovative synergistic tri-dimensional approach to identifying new aetiologies, diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for the optimization of personalized therapy of liver diseases and liver cancer. A group of experts of different disciplines (Special Interest Group for Personalized Hepatology of the Italian Association for the Study of the Liver, Institute for Biostructures and Bio-imaging of the National Research Council and Bio-banking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure) discussed criteria, methods and guidelines for facilitating the requisite application of data collection. This manuscript provides a multi-Author review of the issue with special focus on fatty liver.

• Authors: Marcello Mancini, Paul Summers, Francesco Faita, Maurizia R Brunetto, Francesco Callea, Andrea De Nicola, Nicole Di Lascio, Fabio Farinati, Amalia Gastaldelli, Bruno Gridelli, Peppino Mirabelli, Emanuele Neri, Piero A Salvadori, Eleni Rebelos, Claudio Tiribelli, Luca Valenti, Marco Salvatore, Ferruccio Bonino
• Journal: World journal of hepatology (World J Hepatol) Vol. 10 Issue 2 Pg. 231-245 (Feb 27 2018) ISSN: 1948-5182 [Print] United States
• PMID: 29527259 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)