The Italian Liver Foundation Onlus, the Liver Transplant Centre of the “Friuli Centrale” University Health Authority and Area Science Park, with the Genomics and Epigenomics Laboratory, have recently presented an analysis on how genomics and epigenomics impact transplanted liver. The study, published in the “Annals of Hepatology” journal focuses on how changes in the genomics and epigenomics may affect the response of the recipient and the transplant outcome.
Basically, allograft – the transplant of organs or tissues between two individuals of the same species – involves rejection risks due to the recipient’s immune system recognising the transplanted tissue as foreign. The results of the study provide new insight into how changes in the transcription of DNA into messenger RNA, can contribute to the initial damage to the transplanted liver, the recurrence of chronic disease, or organ rejection. The research recently completed by the team of researchers opens up new perspectives for preventing these complications, thus improving the chances of the success of liver allografts and the quality of the patients’ life.
Danilo Licastro, head of the Genomics and Epigenomics Laboratory of Area Science Park, explained that this project “allowed us to apply our research knowledge in an integrated and organic way. Our laboratory produced and analysed information regarding RNA sequence and the status of DNA methylation for all the samples provided by our partners.” A result that was possible only because of the high degree of collaboration between the two research structures, and that is a fundamental step towards continuing on from research towards clinical-diagnostic application on a large scale.
As the Italian Liver Foundation managers said, this pioneering experimental research project is also proof that the interaction between scientific and clinical realities makes it possible to achieve high-level results, as well demonstrating that, in the future, it will be possible to create new databases and collaborations, both national and international, in the digital health sector.
