SCIENTISTS from the North-East are leading the fightback against a little known but life-threatening illness which affects up to one in three people in the UK.

Newcastle University scientists are leading a pioneering new study aimed at developing new ways to treat non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD.

Bringing together scientists and clinicians from nine leading centres the €6m (£4.36m) project is funded by the European Union.

The largest ever study of its kind, it is hoped it will enable a greater understanding into the genetic and environmental factors linked to the development of NAFLD.

Caused by a build-up of fat in the liver cells the condition is strongly linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes.

It is estimated that up to 25 per cent of Europe’s population suffer from the condition, including up to 33 per cent of the UK’s population.

With so many at risk, a key challenge is identifying those people who will develop liver cirrhosis or cancer so that healthcare can be focused on patients who need it most.

Dr Quentin Anstee, from Newcastle University’s Institute of Cellular Medicine and liver specialist at Newcastle Hospitals Trust is co-ordinating the four-year project.

He said: “NAFLD is going to be the most common cause for liver transplantation in many countries within a decade, overtaking alcohol-related liver disease and viral hepatitis.

“It is a major public health challenge. This research will bring together experts from centres across Europe to explore the subtle differences between people that influence why some patients are more severely affected by the condition than others.

“At the moment there are no licensed medicines to treat non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and so advice to patients at present is simply go on a diet. By understanding the disease processes better we hope that this study will allow us to develop new diagnostic tests, and enable us to identify new targets for treatment so that we can devise better drugs in the future.”

The research team includes investigators in London, Cambridge, France, Italy, Finland, Denmark and Germany.

Research into NAFLD is growing in importance as obesity rates continue to rise, and almost a third of obese people have the disease. It is estimated that obesity affects 10 per cent to 30 per cent of adults in EU countries.

People die from NAFLD as it is associated with an increased risk of liver cirrhosis requiring transplantation; higher risk of cancer in the liver; increased risk of heart attack and stroke.