In developed countries, poor diet and low exercise has driven the rise in cardiometabolic disease incidence.  

Metabolic diseases of the liver such as fatty liver disease have quietly reached epidemic levels across both adults and children. In the US approximately 30% of adults and as many as 1 in 10 children suffer from some form of metabolic liver disease, leading to direct and societal costs estimated at almost $300B per year. 

While 90% of liver disease is preventable if caught early, most people have little to no symptoms until the disease has advanced, so the majority of patients are diagnosed at the point of liver failure. There is therefore a critical need for earlier detection when lifestyle changes and therapeutics can be effectively deployed, and the number of patients experiencing severe symptoms reduced.

We are developing a breath test capable of detecting liver disease early before any symptoms show, involving the use of an Exogenous Volatile Organic Compound (EVOC®) Probe known as limonene to probe the function of the liver. Our work in this area has been highly successful and indicates that breath testing in this way may be a suitable test to screen for liver disease in children and adults.