New Tools to Measure Liver Functions
It is estimated that the liver performs over 500 different functions, including processing nutrients, regulating cholesterol, and detoxifying substances that would otherwise be harmful. Yet, for many with liver disease these functions are impaired, and diagnosing their stage of disease is often difficult.
HepQuant approaches the problem of liver diagnostics from a completely different perspective and provides new tools for measuring liver function.
HepQuant’s products, HepQuant-STAT™, HepQuant-SHUNT™, and HepQuant -LOW™, are currently for investigational use only. Research studies on patients with chronic Hepatitis C suggest that HepQuant tests may:
- Estimate the stage of hepatic fibrosis
- Predict clinical manifestations of liver disease
- Quantify treatment effects
- Predict future decompensation
NOTICE: HepQuant -TAT™, HepQuant-SHUNT™, and HepQuant-FLOW™ are investigational combination (drug/device) products not yet in clinical trials, and have not yet been evaluated or reviewed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They are not currently available for clinical use or commercial sale.
Why HepQuant?
All the major manifestations of liver disease, such as ascites, varices, and encephalopathy, are related to altered portal circulation. HepQuant tests are designed to assess the portal circulation – test results may be correlated to clinical features or may be followed over time to measure changes in disease activity. Our products are designed to be non-invasive, use stable (not radioactive) isotopes, and rely on natural, well-defined hepatic functions to measure the portal circulation.