We are delighted to announce the completion of the DECISION video series, a collection of short explainer videos translating key scientific findings from the project into accessible, engaging stories.

Across eight videos, DECISION researchers present important discoveries on topics ranging from immune dysfunction and epigenetic regulation to extracellular vesicles, single-cell analyses, and novel models for MASH-cirrhosis. Together, these videos offer insights into the mechanisms driving acute decompensation of cirrhosis and acute-on-chronic liver failure, while highlighting how DECISION research is contributing to improved prediction, monitoring, and treatment strategies.

Designed for clinicians, general practitioners, researchers, patients, and interested members of the public, the series aims to make complex science easier to understand without sacrificing scientific accuracy.

🎥 Watch the complete YouTube playlist.

A heartfelt thank you goes to all researchers who contributed their expertise, time, and enthusiasm to this initiative.

Patients with cirrhosis can experience sudden clinical deterioration, progressing from acute decompensation to acute-on-chronic liver failure. However, the biological processes that precede this transition are not fully understood.

In this study from the DECISION project, we used single-cell technologies to investigate immune cell function at an unprecedented level of detail.

By analyzing thousands of individual immune cells from patients with advanced liver disease, we identified a consistent pattern: monocytes show a marked loss of energy production before organ failure develops. This dysfunction is linked to impaired mitochondrial activity, leaving the cells present but functionally compromised.

Importantly, this monocyte-specific energy failure was observed across large patient cohorts and was associated with infections, disease progression, and reduced survival.

These findings indicate that immune dysfunction in cirrhosis develops gradually at the level of cellular metabolism. Understanding how immune cells lose their energy may help explain why patients become vulnerable to complications and may inform future therapeutic strategies aimed at preserving immune function.

🎥 Watch the video!
📖 We’ll link the paper once it’s published.