The Hepatology Research Group at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and the NHS Grampian Research & Development (R&D) Department jointly held a Patient Participation Event on the 15th of March 2024 in the Suttie centre.
The objective of this event was for patients to hear about liver services, their clinical challenges, and ongoing and proposed research. It was also aimed to allow patients to express their opinion and suggest topics for research in liver disease in the future.
Patients, members of the public, researchers from the University of Aberdeen, clinicians and R&D personnel gathered for this very congenial event. The programme was inaugurated by the Director of R&D in NHS Grampian, Professor Vasan, who emphasised the need for clinical research to reduce the disease burden and deliver excellent patient care. Lorna Bailey, one of the Specialist Hepatology Nurses outlined all the Hepatology Clinical activities. Dr Vijayan spoke about the research being conducted in Alcohol related liver disease. Dr Indrani Mukhopadhya from University of Aberdeen discussed the role of the gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of liver diseases and explored the potential for developing novel microbiota-based therapies. Dr Lionel Broche spoke about innovations in MRI being done in Aberdeen University to aid early diagnosis of fibrosis in liver disease. The first session was brought to a close by the Hepatology research nurses Alicija Vileito and Tracy Henderson speaking about the commercial and non-commercial hepatology studies being undertaken in NHS Grampian.
The second session was small group discussions among the participants on which areas to focus on liver research in Grampian. There was robust participation and a lot of overarching themes emerged. The groups felt that research should focus on diet, maintenance of healthy lifestyle and their effects on liver disease. The impact of the gut microbiota and liver diseases were also given strong consideration. Early diagnosis of liver disease using cutting edge imaging and AI tools was one of the themes suggested. Participants also felt support of patients with liver disease through research to access to newer treatments and procedures should be a priority. The sumptuous lunch after the event allowed mutual discussion and even more food for thought. The successful event was concluded by the convener Dr Ashis Mukhopadhya with a vote of thanks.