OWL Metabolomics contributes to MASEF Score for Identifying At-Risk MASH Patients

Metabolomics-Advanced Steatohepatitis Fibrosis Score (MASEF), Published in Hepatology, a Breakthrough in MASH Diagnosis

(Bilbao, August 2, 2023) The prestigious journal <i>Hepatology</i> has just published a cutting-edge study in hepatology. The research, conducted by Dr. Mazen Noureddin, Dr. Emily Truong and Dr. Arun J. Sanyal, with Dr. Rebeca Mayo, Ibon Martínez and Itziar Mincholé from OWL Metabolomics, in collaboration with scientists from institutions and hospitals in Europe and America, has found a metabolic pattern that can identify at-risk MASH patients (MASH with NAS≥4 + F≥2). You can access the study via this link (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37505221/)

MASEF, the New Diagnostic Tool for Evaluating At-Risk MASH Patients

The research focused on the development and validation of the Metabolomics-Advanced Steatohepatitis Fibrosis Score (MASEF), a metabolomic diagnostic tool for the evaluation of at-risk MASH patients. The MASEF score demonstrated good diagnostic performance, with an area under the curve of 0.76 (95% CI: 0.72-0.79) in the derivation cohort and 0.79 (95% CI: 0.75-0.83) in the validation cohort.

Advantages of the MASEF Score

The study also highlights the advantages of using the MASEF score as a substitute for LSM by VCTE in the FIB-4 + LSM by VCTE algorithm currently recommended by the American Gastroenterology Association (AGA). The MASEF score exhibits similar performance, high accuracy, and greater accessibility as it is a blood-based test. MASEF score was also compared to FAST score, showing similar performance in the validation cohort 0.74 (95% CI 0.68-0.79; p=0.064).

Dr. Mazen Noureddin points out that “the MASEF score could be a practical tool to identify patients at high risk of severe liver disease progression to be targeted for novel pharmacotherapies and clinical trials.”

Significant Contributions to the Field of Hepatology Research

The authors of the study, which includes Jesus M. Bañales, Marco Arrese, Kenneth Cusi, María Teresa Arias-Loste, Radan Brüha, Manuel Romero-Gómez, Paula Iruzubieta, Rocio Aller, Javier Ampuero, José Luis Calleja, Luis Ibañez-Samaniego, Patricia Aspichueta, Antonio Marín-Duce, Tatyana Kushner, Pablo Ortiz, Stephen A. Harrison, Quentin M. Anstee, Javier Crespo and José M. Mato, have made significant contributions to the advancement of knowledge in this critical field of research.

About OWL Metabolomics

OWL Metabolomics is a global provider of metabolomics services to the pharmaceutical industry, primarily focused on supporting clinical trials in liver diseases and other prevalent human diseases. It also focuses on research in indications where metabolomics plays a key role, including drug therapy monitoring and biomarker discovery.

Since its inception in 2002, the Basque company has collaborated with numerous MASH pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and research organizations around the world in the hepatology field, thanks to the creation of its exclusive metabolomic analysis platform. Additionally, OWL Metabolomics develops and markets non-invasive diagnostic tools based on metabolomics.