Chronic liver disease is a major health problem, as it often progresses silently to advanced stages such as cirrhosis. Despite advances in non-invasive tests, there is still a clear need for tools that better reflect the actual biological processes taking place within the liver and help to anticipate each patient’s progression.
In this study, the research team used data obtained from single-cell RNA sequencing to identify specific gene expression patterns in three key types of hepatic cells: liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, hepatic stellate cells, and macrophages. From these patterns, three scores have been developed that capture the functional state of these cells and their involvement in disease progression or regression.
“These scores allow us to understand what is really happening at the cellular level within the liver”, explains Jordi Gracia‑Sancho, head of the Hepatic Vascular Biology group at IDIBAPS, CIBEREHD investigator, and leader of the study. “The most relevant aspect is that they not only report on the patient’s current state, but also have a very high predictive capacity for their clinical progression”.
These biomarkers or scores have been validated by more than 1,000 liver biopsy samples, which reinforces the robustness of the results. The analyses show very high predictive values for different, very important clinical indicators such as hepatic decompensation, fibrosis progression or portal hypertension, which makes them promising candidates for future clinical practice. Moreover, the biomarkers can be measured from existing biopsies, without adding new invasive tests for the patient.
According to Gracia-Sancho, “one key aspect is that these biomarkers could facilitate more personalized decision-making, helping to identify which patients are at high risk of decompensation and which might benefit from a particular therapeutic strategy.”
The project also stands out due to its high innovative and transfer potential, which is why it is being supported by the IDIBAPS Knowledge and Technology Transfer Office. The technology is already the subject of a European patent application with the aim of facilitating its future development and clinical application. In 2024, the initiative was one of the winning projects in the Campus Clínic call and received funding from the ISCIII Health Technology Development (Desarrollo Tecnológico en Salud, DTS) programme. Subsequently, in 2025, it obtained two competitive calls from the AGAUR Knowledge Industry (Indústria del Coneixement) programme, in the Innovators and Product categories.
The study was carried out in collaboration with Gilead Sciences, which contributed to the retrospective validation of the biomarkers in external cohorts, thereby reinforcing the translational value of the work.
Reference article
Guixé-Muntet, S., Fernández-Iglesias, A., Lopez, D. et al. Sinusoidal cell–derived biomarker scores predict diagnosis and prognosis in chronic liver disease. BMC Med 24, 201 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-026-04733-y
