RG 5151: Quantifying Liver Perfusion-Function Relationship in Complex Resection - A Systems Medicine Approach (QuaLiPerF)

Complex, extended liver resections ((e)PHx) pose a high risk of postoperative liver failure, especially in case of preexisting liver disease. The goal of QuaLiPerF is to elucidate as yet unknown interactions between surgery-induced changes in perfusion and metabolic function. We will apply a systems medicine approach to generate a multi-scale model of hepatic perfusion and function, which will prospectively improve prediction of function and risk strati?cation in patients subjected to (e)PHx.Our project aims are (1) to quantify and improve understanding of the relationship between changes in hepatic perfusion and selected metabolic functions at all relevant physiological scales; (2) to generate validated and integrated spatially resolved dynamical models for robust prediction of liver function after resection and during regeneration; and thus (3) to create the basis for clinical translation into a surgical planning model for prediction of the individual postoperative hepatic function and its course during recovery.We will achieve these goals by integrating systems biology methods and imaging techniques as well as multimodal, longitudinal individual patient data. Due to the broad scope of the project, a joint effort of experts from different fields is needed: experimentalists, clinicians, bioinformaticians, modelers and experts for data integration.Our long-term vision is the translation of the multi-scale model describing perfusion-function interactions into a virtual visualization tool. This will enable a precise prediction of liver regeneration and post-surgical morbidity and mortality already when virtually planning the surgery.