Creative Biolabs is an undisputed leading provider of antibody development and generation services. Now, we provide in vitro diagnostic (IVD) antibody development services targeting various biomarkers of different stages of liver diseases, including hepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver failure.
Overview of Liver Fibrosis
Liver fibrosis is the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, which is a characteristic of most types of chronic liver diseases. The main causes of liver fibrosis include chronic viral infections (hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus), alcohol abuse, and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). They will lead to the death of hepatocytes and the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), which is the main pathogenesis mechanism of liver fibrosis. Advanced liver fibrosis eventually progresses to cirrhosis, liver failure, and portal hypertension and often requires liver transplantation. Prognosis and management of chronic liver diseases greatly depend on the amount and progression of liver fibrosis. Therefore, the early and precise evaluation of severity and status of liver fibrosis provides useful information for diagnosis as well as treatment planning, treatment efficacy, and prognosis.
Liver Biopsy for Liver Fibrosis Evaluation
Hepatic fibrosis consists of the deposition of ECM components in highly stable and optically visible structures (usually fibers) within the liver parenchyma. Because histological examination (liver biopsy) allows for direct visualization of the liver parenchyma, it is still considered as the gold standard to assess the nature and severity of hepatic fibrosis. However, it has several recognized limitations including high cost, the risk of complications, sampling error and interobserver variability in interpretation and staging. Furthermore, the dynamic process of fibrosis resulting from progression and regression is difficult to capture with biopsy alone. To get more accuracy and objectivity in the quantification of fibrosis, a more sophisticated approach has been developed, i.e. morphometry, which is based on image analysis. Moreover, another complementary approach that may allow a more dynamic assessment of fibrosis is immunohistochemistry.
Fig. 1 Hepatic stellate cell activation in liver fibrosis. (Zhubanchaliyev, A., 2016)
Serum Markers in the Diagnosis of Liver Fibrosis
Recent technical advances have resulted in the development of numerous serum biomarkers and imaging tools as noninvasive alternatives to biopsy. They have exhibited advantages such as much safer, more acceptable to the patient, less expensive, and can be repeated as often as required. Therefore, combinations of biomarkers or maker panels have been established in recent years for clinical use, and consequently, the number of biopsies performed has declined sharply. These markers include direct markers that can reflect the changes in the ECM structure and indirect markers that are related to liver damage and/or decline in liver function. Although the accuracy and diagnostic value of these methods remain controversial, early evidence suggests that they might be at least as good as liver biopsy. Moreover, novel experimental markers are being developed which hold the promise of improving its diagnostic ability in the near future.
In order to improve the value of these antibody-based diagnostic tools and help clinicians in the diagnosis, prognosis, and staging of liver diseases, Creative Biolabs is providing IVD antibody development services to produce high-quality antibodies of diagnostic use. In addition to liver disease, areas of research covered here include cancer, apoptosis, neurobiology, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, infectious diseases, and so on. If you are interested in our services, contact us to discuss your specific requirements.
Our IVD antibody development services target the following diagnostic markers of liver fibrosis:
Reference
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