In the UK there are more than 10,000 deaths due to liver disease each year. It is the only major disease where death rates are rising.
The University of Plymouth’s Hepatology Research Group is dedicated to improving the understanding and treatment of liver disease. It utilises state-of-the-art laboratory facilities based in the Derriford Research Facility, and the world class clinical research strengths of the Faculty of Health and University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust.
The team works in unison with the South West Liver Unit, at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, providing Hepatology services to the South West region, including assessment for liver transplantation, liver cancer therapy and other treatments for severe liver problems.
The research team runs several commercially sponsored clinical trials in hepatitis C therapy, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), primary biliary cholangiopathy (PBC), alcoholic liver disease and liver failure amongst others, through the clinical research facilities of The Lind Research Centre at Derriford Hospital.
To better understand the link between human health and the environment, the Hepatology Research Group are now collaborating with the University’s International Marine Litter Research Unit, who coined the term ‘microplastics’ and whose detailed understanding of the environmental and societal impacts of plastic marine litter – over two decades of discovery – has influenced both national and international legislation.
In the food chain, plastic and its associated additives can impact directly on health due to particle toxicity and leaching of harmful chemicals.
While ecotoxicological models have helped in exploring the mechanism of action of microplastics and nanoplastics, the focus has now expanded to understand the human health at stake by taking an interdisciplinary approach to the problem.
This collaboration is using established in-vitro cell culture models to understand the toxicity and impact of microplastics and nanoplastics on human cells and tissue, including the liver. Liver samples from healthy volunteers and patient will also be analysed for evidence of plastic polymers.