~approximated CLD death toll since the start of 2023

and this is only the beginning...

The Silent Threat of Cronic Liver Disease
Chronic liver disease is on account of approximately 2 million fatalities annually worldwide. (~228 death per half hour, 2023 stats), being 11th leading cause of death. A major cause is liver fibrosis, predisposing individuals to advanced liver disease and even hepatic failure. Notwithstanding the gravity of chronic liver diseases, their surreptitious nature often eludes early diagnosis, as they cloak themselves in asymptomatic guise during their nascent stages. Normal physical examinations and nonspecific biological abnormalities for the detection of these diseases remain elusive until they have stealthily advanced, often leading to poor medium-term prognosis, making the situation more gloomy. Therefore, our team hopes to relieve this deplorable situation.
Against the Flow
Up to now, there are no Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatments for liver fibrosis. But we asipire to inspire. Acknowledged that the prime fibrogenesis agent is activated Hepatic Stellate Cells (aHSCs), our approach is to deliver a liposome-coated drug through RBC transportation, wherein a fusion protein comprising GATA4, the transcription factor is expressed. With the drug, it is expected that the stars would dim, HSCs deactivated and turned quiescent. Thus the continuous liver fibrogenesis could be relieved, and even regressed.
References
  1. Zhang, C. Y., Liu, S., & Yang, M. (2023). Treatment of liver fibrosis: Past, current, and future. World journal of hepatology, 15(6), 755–774. https://doi.org/10.4254/wjh.v15.i6.755
  2. Advances in Drug Delivery Systems Based on Red Blood Cells and Their Membrane-Derived Nanoparticles Phuong Hoang Diem Nguyen, Migara Kavishka Jayasinghe, Anh Hong Le, Boya Peng, and Minh T. N. Le ACS Nano 2023 17 (6), 5187-5210 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c11965
  3. https://ib.bioninja.com.au/options/option-d-human-physiology/d3-functions-of-the-liver/erythrocyte-recycling.html#:~:text=Previous,are%20recycled%20by%20the%20liver
  4. https://www.med.hku.hk/zh-HK/news/press/20210412-fabp-and-liver-fibrosis