European Foundation for the Study of Chronic Liver Failure

Institute Presentation

The European Foundation for the Study of Chronic Liver Failure (EF CLIF) is a private nonprofit organization which mission is to promote research and education in chronic liver disease with the aim to contribute to improving the quality of life and to increase the survival of patients with cirrhosis.

EF CLIF has made pioneering efforts in conducting a series of large, international prospective studies that have been instrumental in reclassifying the trajectory of patients with chronic liver failure and led to the clinical, prognostic and pathophysiological definition of the syndrome referred to as “acute-on-chronic liver failure” (ACLF) characterized by acute decompensation of cirrhosis, severe systemic inflammation, organ failures, and high short-term mortality.

Since its foundation in 2009, the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) Chair supports research activities through the EASL-CLIF Consortium, a network of 116 tertiary level university hospitals in 28 European countries. The EASL Chair promotes research in liver disease in Europe through a collaborative effort aimed at furthering the knowledge and understanding of the mechanisms underlying cirrhosis and its complications. The EASL-CLIF Consortium provides the framework to conduct ancillary studies and clinical trials that will lead to evaluate new therapies in cirrhosis, establish diagnostic criteria, and identify predictors for the design of new prognostic scores for acute-on-chronic liver failure—to improve the quality of life and survival of current and future patients with cirrhosis.

The Grifols Chair promotes translational studies across centers throughout Europe and North America within the framework of the European Network for Translational Research (ENTR) with 25 centers in 8 countries. The Grifols Chair promotes research aimed at characterizing the mechanisms underlying the presence of systemic inflammation in patients with decompensation of cirrhosis and its role in the development of acute-on-chronic liver failure.

More recently, the establishment of the Global Projects chapter has enabled to establish connections between healthcare professionals and experts over the world to further the understanding of the epidemiology and pathophysiology of ACLF. Through collaborative research, the Global Projects also aim to identify novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets in cirrhosis and develop guidelines that will contribute to minimize regulatory barriers and facilitate better outcomes and quality of life for patients with chronic liver disease worldwide.

EF CLIF also partners with industry to address unmet medical needs in cirrhosis and generate insights to drive innovative therapeutic solutions that can transform and revolutionize patient care.

The Data Management Center enables access to specimens and relevant clinical and laboratory data, and provides bioinformatics and statistical analysis expertise.

Within A-TANGO, EF CLIF coordinates the project (WP8), and will lead the data management activities of the clinical study (WP5). Moreover, EF CLIF will participate in the study design and perform statistical analyses of the proof-of-concept trial described in WP1, WP2 and WP3.