The research group has extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of liver diseases. The protocolised patient management that has been carried out for years in the Hepatology Clinics has, on the one hand, made it possible to provide optimal medical care and, on the other, to have the necessary infrastructure for carrying out its own studies and research clinical trials. At its inception in 1996, the group focused its research mainly on the field of viral hepatitis, taking part in numerous single-centre and multicentre research clinical trials and its own studies in that field. In this regard, the group has focused its research on new treatments for hepatitis B and C, treatment of hepatitis C with normal transaminases, and prevalence studies of hepatitis B and C virus seromarkers in the current population. More than 100 clinical trials have been carried out in different phases (Phase I-Phase IV), acting as coordinating centre in numerous national and international trials. All this has resulted in numerous national and international publications in this field.

In recent years, a line of research into hepatocarcinoma has been developed, led by Dr Calleja. A competitive project is currently underway in this area, focused on the diagnosis and prognosis of hepatocarcinoma through proteomic analysis, and we are also taking part in treatment clinical trials.

From the outset, Dr Calleja has taken part in multicentre studies in the field of portal hypertension, which, with the addition of Dr Llop, have continued thanks to the ability to perform suprahepatic vein catheterisation in the Department. Single-centre studies are currently being carried out, including a competitive project, as well as multicentre studies focused on the non-invasive diagnosis of portal hypertension, treatment of oesophageal variceal bleeding and anticoagulation in cirrhotic patients. Finally, emphasis is being placed on the diagnosis of portal hypertension in the liver disease aetiologies that will become more relevant in the coming years: alcohol and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

In this regard, since the addition of Dr Abad and Dr Hernández Conde, the line of research into non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is being developed, and we are carrying out our own and collaborative studies. Given the multidisciplinary care required by patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, we collaborate with other departments such as nutrition and cardiology in these studies.