EASL has come and gone for the year and this article is a stellar summary: From EASL 2026: “What Hepatology Still Needs to Solve.”
The AJMC article highlights a panel discussion among leading hepatologists about the biggest unresolved challenges facing the field despite recent therapeutic advances.
Key Takeaways
1. MASH and Steatotic Liver Disease Remain the Biggest Burden
Experts emphasized that steatotic liver disease (SLD)—including MASH, alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD), and metabolic-and-alcohol–related liver disease (metALD)—has become the leading indication for liver transplantation in both Europe and the United States. Beyond causing liver disease directly, SLD worsens outcomes in patients with viral hepatitis and other chronic liver conditions.
2. Screening Is Still the Weak Link
According to Meena Bansal, MD, validated fibrosis risk-stratification and screening algorithms already exist, but healthcare systems have not effectively implemented them at scale. The challenge is no longer developing tools—it is deploying them broadly and measuring their impact on population health.
3. Fibrosis Reversal and Cirrhosis Treatment Are Major Unmet Needs
While therapies such as resmetirom have advanced treatment for MASH, experts noted that reversing advanced fibrosis and treating MASH-related cirrhosis remain major gaps. Many patients are still diagnosed late, when disease is harder to reverse.
4. Alcohol-Related Liver Disease Is Underfunded
Tarik Asselah, MD, PhD, argued that alcohol-related liver disease continues to receive insufficient research funding relative to its disease burden. Rare liver diseases face a similar challenge, often lacking investment and therapeutic innovation.
5. Hepatitis B Functional Cure Is Still Elusive
Although HBV treatment is improving rapidly, the field has not yet achieved a widely available functional cure. Asselah highlighted emerging gene-therapy approaches and novel HBV therapeutics as areas to watch. Early research suggests the possibility of transformative advances, but these remain investigational.
6. Population-Level Identification Must Improve
The panel repeatedly returned to the need for finding patients earlier. Millions of individuals with liver disease remain undiagnosed until fibrosis or cirrhosis develops. Improving case finding, risk stratification, and referral pathways was viewed as just as important as developing new drugs.