(Vienna, 31-10-2023) Mattias Mandorfer, a gastroenterologist and hepatologist at the Department of Internal Medicine III and Head of the Vienna Hepatic Hemodynamic Lab at MedUni Vienna, was honoured with the Rising Star Award at the United European Gastroenterology (UEG) Week in Copenhagen. This award is presented annually by the professional association to leading young European scientists in order to promote their career development.
The title of the lecture accompanying the award gives insight into Mattias Mandorfer's research focus: "Cirrhosis after removal of the primary aetiological factor". Cirrhosis is also referred to as the end-stage of chronic liver disease. The resulting portal hypertension increases the risk of complications such as ascites and variceal bleeding. Observations in patients with cirrhosis in whom the underlying cause of the liver damage could be eliminated suggest, however, that this is by no means a one-way street. Mattias Mandorfer and colleagues were able to gain this insight from patients who underwent modern hepatitis C therapy while already suffering from cirrhosis. Minimally invasive measurement of the hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) in the Vienna Hepatic Hemodynamic Lab showed that portal hypertension is improved in the majority of patients, which translates into a reduction in the risk of complications.
While research at MedUni Vienna concluded that the severity of portal hypertension and the risk of complications can also be assessed by non-invasive methods such as measuring liver stiffness using transient elastography or calculating the VITRO score, this finding initially remained controversial due to discrepant results. However, an analysis by the Baveno Cooperation proved the diagnostic and prognostic value of non-invasive tests, and the resulting non-invasive criteria led to the corresponding recommendations of the chapter of the Baveno VII Consensus (international standard for the management of portal hypertension), which was chaired by Mattias Mandorfer. Furthermore, within the framework of international collaborations, an algorithm for stratifying the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma after healing of hepatitis C was developed, which is currently being validated in long-term studies together with the non-invasive criteria for portal hypertension. Thus, Mattias Mandorfer's group was not only able to make a substantial contribution to the personalised care of these patients, but also to provide important insights into the regression of advanced liver disease/cirrhosis.
In addition to aetiological therapies for advanced liver disease/cirrhosis, MedUni Vienna is also conducting intensive research into drug therapies for portal hypertension per se: for example, the Vienna Hepatic Hemodynamic Lab's expertise in the minimally invasive and non-invasive evaluation of portal hypertension is also providing the effectiveness endpoints for the three ongoing clinical trials of the Ludwig Boltzmann Society Clinical Research Group "Disease-driving mechanisms in patients with portal hypertension", which is currently headed by Thomas Reiberger and will be led by Mattias Mandorfer from 2027.
Personal details
Mattias Mandorfer studied human medicine in Vienna and Heidelberg and graduated in 2012. After completing his N790 studies in 2017 and his habilitation in 2018, he spent time abroad at the Barcelona Hepatic Hemodynamic Lab in 2019. With the fulfilment of his internal career agreement in 2021, he took over the leadership of the Vienna Hepatic Hemodynamic Lab, which is currently a world leader in the field of portal hypertension. Mattias Mandorfer is author of 250 PubMed-listed articles, Associate Editor of the top journal JHEP Rep and is/was member of the Editorial Boards of Gastroenterology, J Hepatol, Am J Gastroenterol, as well as Liver Int.
In addition to national activities as 1st Secretary of the Austrian Society of Gastroenterology and Hepatology (ÖGGH) 2019-2023, hepatology working group leader, and counselor for continuing education, Mattias Mandorfer is also extremely active internationally. Among other things, he is a member of the Steering Committee and the Research Committee of the Baveno Cooperation, of which he also serves as treasurer. Furthermore, he is a member of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) Young Investigator Task Force and participates in the conception of Clinical Practice Guidelines of this society.