Noninvasive Biomarkers of Metabolic Liver Disease 1.1

Not Applicable

Completed

Conditions: Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis
Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver

Interventions: Device: Ultrasound based shear wave speed and fat quantification methods
Diagnostic Test: Blood collection
Other: Physical measurements
Other: Clinical history and medication reviews

Registration Number: NCT04828551

Lead Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital

Brief Summary: NIMBLE is a comprehensive collaborative effort to standardize, compare, validate, and advance the regulatory qualification of imaging and circulating biomarkers to diagnose and stage nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and to predict and assess response to therapeutic intervention (https://fnih.org/what-we-do/biomarkers-consortium/programs/nimble). This study focuses on estimating the repeatability and reproducibility of ultrasound elastography-based biomarkers across a range of fibrosis stages.

Detailed Description: Study 1.1, is a prospective, two-center, short-term cross-sectional study to assess the reproducibility and repeatability of a set of specified ultrasound-based quantitative imaging biomarkers. The primary focus will be on imaging biomarkers of the liver fibrosis component of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), rather than the steatosis or inflammation component. The rationale is that the fibrosis component is linked most closely to survival and other clinical outcomes. Study 1.1 will also collect data to explore vendor- or device-specific investigational biomarkers on other components of NAFLD such as steatosis and possibly inflammation.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status: COMPLETED

Sex: All

Target Recruitment: 40

Inclusion Criteria

Adult (age ≥ 18 years)
Known or suspected NAFLD based on prior biopsy ≤ 36 months consistent with NAFLD OR
Abnormal ALT (>30 U/L for men, > 19 U/L for women) without other common causes such as HCV, HBV, AND meets criteria within 36 months for ATP III criteria (2005 revision) for metabolic syndrome with any 3 of the 5:

Waist circumference (WC) > 102 cm (M) or > 88 cm (F)

Fasting glucose ≥ 100 mg/dL or Rx
TG≥150mg/dLorRx
SBP > 130 mmHg
DBP>85mmHg or Rx
Able and willing to participate, including maintaining steady-state: physical activity, alcohol use, medications
Classifiable into one of the following enrollment categories by FIB-4 (ALT, AST, platelets, date of birth) collected at screening visit if not available already within 3 months prior:

Low likelihood of advanced fibrosis: FIB-4 ≤ 1.3 (about one-third of enrolled participants, minimum 8, maximum 18), Intermediate likelihood of advanced fibrosis: 1.3 < FIB-4 < 2.67 (about one-third of enrolled participants, minimum 8, maximum 18), High likelihood of advanced fibrosis: FIB-4 ≥ 2.67: (about one-third of enrolled participants, minimum 8, maximum 18)

Exclusion Criteria

Liver disease other than NAFLD
Excess alcohol consumption (≥ 2 units/day for women and ≥ 3 units/day for men)
Current diagnosis of drug induced liver injury
Receiving drug or placebo in treatment trial now or within 30 days
Weight loss or gain of ≥ 5 kg in prior 3 months
Other factors that in the judgment of the principal investigator might preclude study completion
Women who state they are pregnant. Women who state they are pregnant will be excluded in an abundance of caution, since pregnancy might increase intra-abdominal pressure which in turn might affect the assessment of the different-day reproducibility coefficient of ultrasound and VCTE measurements. Women who state they might be pregnant will be required to do a urine pregnancy test to establish eligibility.
Patients with active implants such as pacemakers or defibrillators or any other contraindication to ultrasound or VCTE scanning.

Study & Design

Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL

Study Design: SINGLE_GROUP

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
MGH and UCSD Study subjects	Clinical history and medication reviews	This study will enroll patients with suspected or confirmed diagnosis of NAFLD. Based on protocol-specified FIB-4 values, about one-third are expected to have low, one-third to have intermediate, and one-third to have high likelihood of advanced fibrosis. Sex: 50:50 - Note- no stratification will be done based on sex Age: ≥ 18 yrs Demographic group: Patients with a high probability of NAFLD based on the eligibility criteria General health status: Patients with suspected or confirmed diagnosis of NAFLD Geographic location: Boston, MA (greater metropolitan areas) and San Diego, CA (greater metropolitan areas)
MGH and UCSD Study subjects	Ultrasound based shear wave speed and fat quantification methods	This study will enroll patients with suspected or confirmed diagnosis of NAFLD. Based on protocol-specified FIB-4 values, about one-third are expected to have low, one-third to have intermediate, and one-third to have high likelihood of advanced fibrosis. Sex: 50:50 - Note- no stratification will be done based on sex Age: ≥ 18 yrs Demographic group: Patients with a high probability of NAFLD based on the eligibility criteria General health status: Patients with suspected or confirmed diagnosis of NAFLD Geographic location: Boston, MA (greater metropolitan areas) and San Diego, CA (greater metropolitan areas)
MGH and UCSD Study subjects	Physical measurements	This study will enroll patients with suspected or confirmed diagnosis of NAFLD. Based on protocol-specified FIB-4 values, about one-third are expected to have low, one-third to have intermediate, and one-third to have high likelihood of advanced fibrosis. Sex: 50:50 - Note- no stratification will be done based on sex Age: ≥ 18 yrs Demographic group: Patients with a high probability of NAFLD based on the eligibility criteria General health status: Patients with suspected or confirmed diagnosis of NAFLD Geographic location: Boston, MA (greater metropolitan areas) and San Diego, CA (greater metropolitan areas)
MGH and UCSD Study subjects	Blood collection	This study will enroll patients with suspected or confirmed diagnosis of NAFLD. Based on protocol-specified FIB-4 values, about one-third are expected to have low, one-third to have intermediate, and one-third to have high likelihood of advanced fibrosis. Sex: 50:50 - Note- no stratification will be done based on sex Age: ≥ 18 yrs Demographic group: Patients with a high probability of NAFLD based on the eligibility criteria General health status: Patients with suspected or confirmed diagnosis of NAFLD Geographic location: Boston, MA (greater metropolitan areas) and San Diego, CA (greater metropolitan areas)

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Different-day, Different-operator Reproducibility Coefficient of Transient Elastography Based Shear Wave Speed Measurements	(2 visits, baseline + up to 7days). Outcome measure will be assessed after pooling all measurements from all study subjects.	The same research subject undergoes multiple shear wave elastography measurements (measured in m/s) on multiple ultrasound imaging devices and transient elastography at two visits (baseline + up to 7 days) with different operators. Elastographic measurements are recorded. The median shear wave velocity value (in m/s) is computed for each ultrasound imaging device and is displayed by the transient elastography device. The ultrasound machine measurements are pooled and the pooled different day-different operator reproducibility coefficient for the group of ultrasound machines is computed. The reproducibility coefficient for transient elastography is computed separately. The pooled different-day, different-operator reproducibility coefficient of transient elastography measurements (in m/s unit), is reported in the outcome measure data table section.
Evaluation of Pooled Different-day, Different-operator Reproducibility of Shear Wave Speed Measurements	(2 visits, baseline + up to 7 days). Outcome measure will be assessed after pooling measurements from all study subjects.	The same research subject undergoes multiple shear wave elastography measurements (measured in m/s) on multiple ultrasound imaging devices and transient elastography at two visits (baseline + up to 7 days) with different operators. Elastographic measurements are recorded. The median shear wave velocity value (in m/s) is computed for each ultrasound imaging device and is displayed by the transient elastography device. The ultrasound machine measurements are pooled and the pooled different day-different operator reproducibility coefficient for the group of ultrasound machines is computed. The reproducibility coefficient for transient elastography is computed separately. The pooled different-day, different-operator reproducibility coefficient of ultrasound measurements of shear wave speed, is reported in the outcome measure data table section.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Evaluation of Pooled Same-day, Same-operator Repeatability of Shear Wave Speed (SWS)	(2 visits, baseline + up to 7days). Outcome measure will be assessed after pooling measurements from all study subjects.	The same research subject undergoes multiple SWE measurements (in m/s) on multiple devices and transient elastography (TE) at two visits (in 7 days) with different operators. For this outcome measure, the same-day same-operator repeatability is estimated on repeated measurements performed on the same device by the same operator at the same visit. For example, the following structure is followed for a subject; Day1 (Device A, Device B, Device C, TE, Repeated Device A, Repeated Device B), Day2 (Device A, Device B, Device C, TE, Repeated Device C, Repeated TE). The median SWS value (in m/s) is computed for each ultrasound device and is displayed by the TE device. The pooled same-day, same-operator repeatability coefficient of ultrasound measurements of SWS, is reported in the outcome measure data table section.
Evaluation of Same-day, Same-operator Repeatability of Transient Elastography	(2 visits, baseline + up to 7days). Outcome measure will be assessed after pooling all measurements from all study subjects.	Same day same operator repeat median TE measures expressed in m/s are compared and the repeatability is estimated. For example, the following structure is followed for a study subject; Day1 (Device A, Device B, Device C, Transient elastography, Repeated Device A, Repeated Device B), Day2 (Device A, Device B, Device C, Transient elastography, Repeated Device C, Repeated transient elastography), which allows estimation of same-day same operator repeatability.
Evaluation of Pooled Different-scanner, Same-day Reproducibility of Shear Wave Elastography.	(2 visits, baseline + up to 7days). Outcome measure will be assessed after pooling all measurements from all study subjects.	The same research subject undergoes multiple shear wave elastography measurements (measured in m/s) on multiple ultrasound imaging devices and transient elastography at two visits (baseline + up to 7 days) with different operators. The median shear wave velocity value (in m/s) is computed for each ultrasound imaging device and is displayed by the transient elastography device. The reproducibility coefficient of measurements obtained across different ultrasound devices on the same day by the same operator is computed. For example, the following structure is followed for a study subject; Day1 (Device A, Device B, Device C, Transient elastography, Repeated Device A, Repeated Device B), Day2 (Device A, Device B, Device C, Transient elastography, Repeated Device C, Repeated transient elastography).The pooled different-scanner, same-day reproducibility coefficient of ultrasound measurements of SWS, is reported in the outcome measure data table section.