Institute Presentation
The European Foundation for the Study of Chronic Liver Failure (EFCLIF) is a non-profit organization, created with the aim of designing, promoting, and supporting studies on the mechanism, prevention, and treatment of liver cirrhosis and its complications; particularly, acute-on-chronic liver failure. In the origin of EFCLIF lies the European Association for the Study of the Liver – Chronic Liver Failure (EASL-CLIF) consortium. An independent entity, the consortium, with 106 hospitals in 26 countries, is an important instrument for carrying out observational and therapeutic studies on large series of patients. Since its foundation (2009), the EASL-CLIF consortium’s most significant achievement has been in identifying, characterizing, establishing diagnostic criteria, designing new prognostic scoring, and understanding the mechanisms of a new syndrome (Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure, ACLF), which constitutes the principal cause of death from cirrhosis. The recent creation of the Grifols Chair for Research and Education is a new drive in the international struggle against cirrhosis. It constitutes the second major activity of EFCLIF. Its goal is to promote translational research in liver disease, especially cirrhosis, as well as disseminating knowledge regarding this disorder.
EFCLIF has planned and organized three large (1200 – 1400 patients) multi-center (30-60 centers) observational studies in the field, with sequential sampling (CANONIC, PREDICT, and ACLARA). One further large global study (including Europe, Asia, America, and Australia) is in the phase of preparation. Moreover, EFCLIF has planned, prepared, and executed investigator-initiated interventional studies, of which one study is completed. The studies of four further investigator-initiated trials have already started within the H2020 projects. The dedicated data management and analysis center is highly experienced with the management of those studies and analysis of patients and omics data. The CANONIC study was the pioneer study within the field with regards to the sequential and extensive sampling of the patients.
Within DECISION, EFCLIF coordinates the project (WP8) and will lead the process of integration of clinical and bio-sample data from CANONIC, PREDICT, and ACLARA studies (WP2). Moreover, EFCLIF will participate in the study design, conduct, and statistical analysis of the proof-of-concept trial described in WP5.