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Data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 show that cirrhosis and other chronic liver diseases are among the leading causes of death in Latin America. Yet, research across the region has long been fragmented due to diverse healthcare systems and a lack of coordinated data.
The newly established LATAM-CLIF Consortium aims to change that. Affiliated with the ALEH and supported by EF CLIF, the consortium will serve as a collaborative platform to conduct large multicenter studies and promote knowledge exchange among clinicians and scientists.
The LATAM-CLIF Consortium builds on the success of the ACLARA study, the first large, EF CLIF–led effort to investigate acute-on-chronic liver failure and decompensated cirrhosis in Latin America. The study united hospitals and research centers across the region, laying the groundwork for longlasting collaboration and shared data. Its findings not only advanced scientific understanding but also showcased the expertise of Latin American hepatology on the global stage.
The initiative also reflects the vision of Dr. Vicente Arroyo, former Director of EF CLIF, who has fostered solid ties with Latin America throughout his career. Convinced of the region’s potential to shape international liver research, Dr. Arroyo encouraged the creation of lasting partnerships among its clinical and scientific teams—an ambition now taking form through the LATAM-CLIF Consortium. His enduring passion and enthusiasm continue to inspire a new generation of clinicians and researchers to pursue excellence and collaboration in hepatology.
The mission of the LATAM-CLIF Consortium is to promote collaborative, multicenter research on decompensated cirrhosis and acute-on-chronic liver failure across Latin America. Its vision is to establish itself as the regional reference in chronic liver disease research, integrated within the ALEH Special Interest Group on Cirrhosis and aligned with EF CLIF’s global efforts.
To achieve this, the consortium will:
At the inaugural meeting of the LATAM-CLIF Consortium on 9 October 2025, Prof. Alberto Farias (University of São Paulo Schoolt of Medicine, Brazil), Chair of the consortium, highlighted the importance of this milestone for the reagion: “The LATAM-CLIF Consortium represents a major step toward unifying chronic liver disease research in Latin America. By aligning our regional efforts with EF CLIF’s global mission, we will strengthen collaboration, promote young investigators, and generate high-quality data that reflect the unique realities of our region. This partnership opens new horizons for impactful and globally connected research”.
The consortium’s structure ensures scientific rigor, inclusivity, and transparency.
A Steering Committee, led by Prof. Alberto Farias (Brazil) as Chair and Dr. Aldo Torre (Mexico) and Dr. Adrian Gadano (Argentina) as Vice-Chairs, will define the strategy, review project proposals, and oversee activities.
The committee also includes representatives supported by ALEH from Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Peru, and Brazil, and EF CLIF advisors.
All participating centers will be represented in an Assembly, fostering equitable participation and communication across the region.
Membership is open to liver units, intensive care unit teams, and research groups involved in chornic liver disease research. Each center will designates a coordinator — a hepatologist, intensivist, established or leading researcher — to represent its participation.
Applications require a letter of intent, a brief center profile, and the coordinator’s CV. Multidisciplinary and cross-country collaboration are particularly encouraged.
EF CLIF will play a central role in the Consortium’s scientific coordination. Beyond providing scientific and technical guidance, EF CLIF will ensure methodological consistency across studies, support protocol development, and facilitate data integration with existing datasets, guaranteeing that LATAM-CLIF Consortium projects meet the highest international standards.
The LATAM-CLIF Consortium will focus on:
Prof. Richard Moreau, Director of EF CLIF, and featured speaker at the meeting, emphasized that the establishment of the LATAM-CLIF Consortium in Rio was a landmark moment. “This meeting was of utmost importance for us at EF CLIF for different reasons. First, because the organizers gave me the opportunity to publicly recognize the contributions of all investigators in the ACLARA study, which provided robust data and served as proof-of-concept for regional collaboration”, he said. “We are excited to support the LATAM-CLIF Consortium as it grows, ensuring that regional insights contribute to the global understanding and treatment of chronic liver disease”, he added.
Prof. Paolo Angeli (University of Padova, Italy), who serves as Chair of the EASL-CLIF Consortium – a research network of EF CLIF, also attended the meeting and together with Prof. Moreau acknowledged the strong potential of the LATAM-CLIF Consortium to lead collaborative, large-scale clinical studies across the region. On behalf of EF CLIF, both leaders expressed their recognition of the consortium’s importance and offered their continued support this new initiative to foster its growth and integration within the global chronic liver disease research community.
The Latin America-Chronic Liver Failure (LATAM-CLIF) Consortium is an investigator-led regional initiative that brings together liver centers and research institutions across Latin America to to carry out collaborative studies on chronic liver disease. The consortium is endorsed by the Special Interest Group on Cirrhosis of the Asociación Latinoamericana para el Estudio del Hígado (ALEH) and supported by the European Foundation for the Study of Chronic Liver Failure (EF CLIF). Its mission is to foster innovation, training, and data integration, and to become a leading regional reference within the global chronic liver research community.
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