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Biomedicines
Special Issues
New Challenges in Liver Diseases: From Molecular Pathogenesis to Therapeutic...
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New Challenges in Liver Diseases: From Molecular Pathogenesis to Therapeutic Approaches

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular and Translational Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 61

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Yefu Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
The State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
Interests: liver fibrosis; cirrhosis; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); hepatitis B virus (HBV) pathogenesis; acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF); immune regulation; therapeutic strategies for chronic liver diseases.

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Liver diseases represent a global health crisis, encompassing a broad spectrum of disorders, from viral hepatitis and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Despite advances in diagnostics and therapeutics, challenges persist in understanding molecular mechanisms, achieving functional cures for chronic infections (e.g., HBV), developing clinical treatments for acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), and addressing the rising burden of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

This Special Issue will showcase cutting-edge research on the following topics:

  1. ​Molecular Pathogenesis: Host–virus interactions, epigenetic regulation, metabolic dysregulation, and immune dysfunctions in liver diseases;
  2. ​Therapeutic Innovations: Novel targets (e.g., cccDNA, RNA interference), combination therapies, and precision medicine approaches;
  3. Translational Advances: Non-invasive biomarkers, regenerative medicine, and gut–liver axis modulation;
  4. Global Health Priorities: Elimination strategies for viral hepatitis;

By bridging basic science, clinical research, and innovation, this Special Issue will accelerate the progress toward curing liver diseases and improving patient outcomes worldwide.

Prof. Dr. Yefu Wang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomedicines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • liver fibrosis
  • NAFLD/NASH
  • ACLF
  • HBV cure
  • immunotherapy
  • precision medicine
  • metabolic liver diseases
  • gut–liver axis
  • regenerative medicine
  • biomarkers

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

14 pages, 347 KB  
Review
Second-Line Therapies in Primary Biliary Cholangitis: A Comparative Review of Obeticholic Acid, Fibrates, Seladelpar, and Elafibranor
by Fares Jamal, Amani Elshaer, Mayar H. Alatout, Nour B. Odeh, Amal Youssef, Humam Abo Abdullah, Sandra Elmasry, Tala Shahin, Hussein Abdul Nabi, Astin R. Worden, Talha A. Malik and Blanca C. Lizaola-Mayo
Biomedicines 2025, 13(10), 2335; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines13102335 - 24 Sep 2025
Abstract
Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune liver disease marked by cholestasis and progressive fibrosis. While ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) remains the first-line therapy, approximately 30–40% of patients have an inadequate biochemical response, increasing the risk of disease progression. Obeticholic acid (OCA), a [...] Read more.
Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune liver disease marked by cholestasis and progressive fibrosis. While ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) remains the first-line therapy, approximately 30–40% of patients have an inadequate biochemical response, increasing the risk of disease progression. Obeticholic acid (OCA), a potent farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonist, was the first second-line agent approved by the only Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and has demonstrated moderate biochemical efficacy but limited tolerability due to dose-dependent pruritus and safety concerns in cirrhosis. Fenofibrate, a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-α) agonist, showed substantial alkaline phosphatase (ALP) reductions when added to UDCA, although its long-term benefit remains unconfirmed in large-scale trials and its use remains off-label in the United States, unlike FDA-approved agents. Seladelpar, a selective peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPAR-δ) agonist, and elafibranor, a dual PPAR-α/δ agonist, have both recently received FDA accelerated approval after demonstrating significant improvements in ALP, biochemical response rates, and pruritus relief in phase 3 trials. This review summarizes these second-line therapies’ mechanisms, efficacy, safety, and limitations emphasizing the need for individualized treatment decisions and ongoing research into long-term clinical outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges in Liver Diseases: From Molecular Pathogenesis to Therapeutic Approaches)
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