- Though there’s little awareness, liver diseases are some of the most common diseases affecting 150 million people in the U.S., driven by non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, alcohol use and viral hepatitis.
- Liver diseases are one of the biggest, underserved problems in healthcare. They lead to terrible, irreversible outcomes for most patients and are driving a huge portion of societal health spending.
- Mortality rates due to chronic liver disease and cirrhosis are on an alarming upward trajectory, with more than two million deaths globally each year.
About Liver Disease
Impacting Millions and on the Rise
2.0M+
Global Deaths Each Year and Increasing
50M
Number of people living with chronic liver disease worldwide
<10%
Percentage of patients in need who will receive a liver transplant, even though it’s the second most common solid organ transplantation
Urgent Need for Therapeutic Progress
Despite these staggering statistics and significant advances in treating some liver diseases such as hepatitis C, little progress has been made to address the life-threatening complications of severe liver disease.
New interventions to manage the morbidity and mortality of severe liver disease are needed urgently.
In people with severe liver disease, the liver’s natural ability to regenerate itself is compromised to the point where the body can no longer create and maintain a sufficient number of hepatocytes needed to conduct vital biosynthetic, metabolic and detoxifying functions. This results in life-threatening disease complications and high morbidity.
While liver transplantation is a viable and curative option, many patients are ineligible. For those who are eligible, the number of patients who could potentially benefit from transplant are far outstripped by the available supply of donor organs.
Translating Biological Insights to Deliver Breakthrough Therapeutics
Deeply understanding and interrogating the biological processes that lead to recurring liver injury, which in turn inhibits the liver’s innate ability to regenerate itself and maintain hepatocyte homeostasis, is a major focus of our work at Ambys.
We are rapidly translating these insights about liver injury to advance breakthrough therapies that can spur liver regeneration and restore function.
Normal hepatocyte regeneration & liver restoration
Injury Halted
1
Liver Injury
The liver is continually working to naturally regenerate itself in response to injury from diet, lifestyle or viral infection.
2
Host Immune Response
In a normally functioning liver, initial hepatocyte injury initiates an immune response, clearing damaged or dead cells.
3
Normal Regeneration
Hepatocyte regeneration and restore liver function
4
Normal Restoration
Pathologic hepatocyte regeneration & changing liver architecture
Injury Persists
5
Broader Immune Response
If the injury persists, the sustained inflammation results in a broader, more aggressive immune response, diminishing hepatocyte regenerative capacity
6
Activation of myofibroblasts
Activated myofibroblasts depost extracellular matrix (ECM), including collagen, leading to progressive fibrosis.
7
Excessive ECM abnormal stiffness
Excessive ECM changes the liver’s architecture leading to abnormal stiffness, restricting the ability of hepatocytes to regenerate.
8
Fibrosis & cirrhosis
