OBM Hepatology and Gastroenterology

Special Issue

Exploring Novel Treatment Options for Liver Fibrosis: Can Anti-Angiogenics Succeed？

Submission Deadline: March 31, 2019 (Open)               Submit Now

Guest Editor

Matthias Bartneck
Department of Medicine III, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen, Germany
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: www.bartneck-lab.ukaachen.de
ORC ID: 0000-0003-1516-9610
Research gate: www.researchgate.net/profile/Matthias_Bartneck
Research Interests: Innate immunity; cytokines; macrophages; hepatic stellate cells; cancer cells; liver diseases; cellular immunology; nanomedicine; theranostics

About This Topic

Liver fibrosis is promoted by sustained liver injury which frequently leads to portal hypertension which is accompanied by angiogenic processes. Chronic liver diseases represent a serious global health concern and novel strategies to modulate tissue regeneration are urgently needed. The highly motile immune cells represent a valueable target of exploratory therapies, due to their crosstalk with other cell types such as hepatic stellate cells which generate matrix proteins, and with endothelial cells responsible for blood vessel formation. Three types of drugs compete for therapeutic success in fibrosis treatment: 1) nanomedicines, which have enriched the field of drug delivery, specifically by reducing systemic spreading of drugs; 2) next generation biologicals such as bispecific antibodies which may strongly broaden the options to modulate cellular functionality, while 3) small molecules represent a cost-efficient and safe option.

Planned Papers

Title：Zinc in liver fibrosis
Author: Kurt Grüngreiff
Affiliation: Clinic of Gastroenterology, City Hospital, Magdeburg, 39130 Magdeburg, Birkenallee 34, Germany

Title: The Autotaxin - Lysophosphatidic Acid axis as a novel therapeutic target for liver fibrosis
Authors: Richell Booijink ¹, Ruchi Bansal ^{1, 2}
Affiliation:
1. Department of Biomaterials Science and Technology, Technical Medical Centre, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, the Netherlands
2. Department of Pharmacokinetics, Toxicology and Targeting, Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy, University of Groningen, the Netherlands