Research
Research Unit History
- Approved and funded by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST).
- Multidisciplinary board of directors.
- Basic scientists, hepatologist, and surgeons.
- Establish effective local and international research collaborations in order to transfer necessary knowledge and technology to Saudi Arabia.
- An effective research infrastructure for liver disease research in Saudi Arabia.
- Many major epidemiologic studies.
- Multiple randomized trials on hepatitis C Virus (HCV) treatment.
- Initial hepatitis B virus (HBV) prevalence studies followed by national vaccination program (20 years ago) followed by 10 and 18 years post vaccination surveys.
- National Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) guidelines.
- High impact scientific publications, presentations, patents, and discoveries.
Main Current Research Lines
- Nationwide Hepatitis Database
- Epidemiology of viral hepatitis their clinical long-term outcomes.
- Non alcoholic fatty liver disease epidemiology and natural history in the Kingdom.
- Genetic signatures of liver cancers.
- Sponsored clinical trials in viral hepatitis.
- Genomics of HBV and viral/host interaction.
- Non-invasive liver fibrosis markers.
- Pathogenesis and Biomarkers of Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH).
- Bariatric surgery effect on non-acoholic Fatty Liver (NAFLD).
- Cholecystectomy effect on (NAFLD).
