From Genomic Instability to Epigenetic Signatures: The Evolving Landscape of Circulating Cell-free DNA in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease
Blood tests measuring DNA fragments and chemistry could replace liver biopsies for tracking liver disease severity, avoiding invasive procedures.
This review consolidates cfDNA biomarker knowledge for MASLD, covering mitochondrial DNA copy number dynamics, nuclear CNVs driving fibrogenesis, and emerging epigenetic metrics (methylation, fragmentomics) that distinguish disease stages without liver biopsy. Standardized pre-analytical protocols and multi-omics ML integration are identified as key translational bottlenecks.
What the study was
- Study design
- Narrative review
- Population
- MASLD patients (general), focus on cfDNA biomarker development
- Category
- Diagnostics
- Maturity
- Exploratory
- Journal
- Hepatology Research
Why it surfaced
cfDNA biomarker review for MASLD (not oncologic early detection); adjacent to core watchlist — partial relevance; deferred from 2026-05-03 run.
A plain-language summary of published research — not medical advice. Talk to a clinician about your own care.