Three-dimensional spatially resolved geometrical and functional models of human liver tissue

Liver Systems Medicine : striving to develop non-invasive methods for diagnosing and treating NAFLD by combining mathematical modeling and biological research. LiSyM, is a multidisciplinary research network, in which molecular and cell biologists, clinical researchers, pharmacologists and experts in mathematical modeling examine the liver in its entirety. LiSyM research focuses on the metabolic liver disease non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which includes non-alcoholic steatohepatitis ...

One of the tasks of the healthy liver is to store fat. Yet, at some stage, too much fat makes the liver sick. One critical time point occurs when a healthy fatty liver becomes inflamed and progresses to steatohepatitis, or NASH. LiSyM-Pillar I will identify what events lead to this transition. Does it occur in all parts of the liver? Which molecules indicate that it is taking place? Can the degeneration be stopped or undone - and if so, how?

Histopathological analysis of human biopsies. To quantitatively characterize the transition from simple STEA to eNASH, we stained, imaged and digitally reconstructed human liver tissue in 2D and 3D from biopsies of 25 patients classified into four groups: normal control (NC, n = 6), healthy obese (HO, n = 4), steatosis (STEA, n = 8) and eNASH (n = 7).

Experimental assay Human-NAFLD/HO , 4 biopsies from healthy obese patients. Samples for the HO category were obtained in patients undergoing bariatric surgery with a BMI > 30 and subgroups defined by liver histology as follows: HO samples showed a normal liver histology such as the NC samples.

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All file here

Files can be opened and visualised with http://motiontracking.mpi-cbg.de/get/ software

Experimental assay Human-NAFLD/NC 6 biopsies from normal control patients. : NC samples showed steatosis ≤5%, no inflammation, no ballooning and no fibrosis and were obtained during liver resections or biopsy in non-hepatobiliary malignancy in patients with a BMI<30kg/m2. Livers were either free of metastases or a distance of at least 2 cm to the next metastasis observed.

Image data for this assay available via link to file folder containing ...

Experimental assay Human-NAFLD/STEA 8 biopsies from steatosis patients. Samples for the STEA category were obtained in patients undergoing bariatric surgery with a BMI > 30 and subgroups defined by liver histology as follows: STEA samples had >5% fat, no inflammation, fibrosis ≤1 and ballooning ≤1.

Image data for this assay available via link to file folder containing image data for listed patient IDs (patientID in a file name)

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Experimental assay Human-NAFLD/eNASH Samples for the eNASH category were obtained in patients undergoing bariatric surgery with a BMI > 30 and subgroups defined by liver histology as follows: eNASH samples were characterized by >5% fat, an inflammation grade of at least 1, fibrosis ≤1 and ballooning ≤1.

Image data for this assay available via link to file folder containing image data for listed patient IDs (patientID in a file name) ...