HKUMed discovers beta-amyloid deposition to be a novel disease mechanism for Biliary Atresia
A research team at HKUMed in collaboration with overseas and Mainland researchers discovered abnormal beta-amyloid deposition to be a novel disease mechanism for biliary atresia (BA), a life-threatening congenital anomaly with an incidence of 1.2 to 2.0 per 10,000 live births in Hong Kong. The finding provides insights into new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for BA, a devastating newborn liver disease with unknown cause till now. The findings were published in Journal of Hepatology. The only treatment for BA, a surgery called Kasai portoenterostomy, restores bile drainage in only 60-70% of patients and most survivors will face life-long complications due to a lack of understanding of the underlying disease mechanisms for BA with the absence of a valid disease model for BA. HKUMed research team is the first to use liver organoids in the study of BA and identify beta-amyloid deposition, which is also the main pathological feature of Alzheimer’s disease and Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy, around BA bile ducts. The finding reveals a novel disease mechanism for BA, paving the way for innovative diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to radically improve treatment outcome. (HKET, Oriental Daily, am730)
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