Currently, dialysis is a treatment used to clear the blood of waste products when the kidneys are functioning below normal levels. This type of treatment would also help the patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), but an effective ‘liver dialysis device’ does not exist.

To meet this need, the ALIVER Consortium has developed and optimised a novel ‘liver dialysis device’, DIALIVE. The DIALIVE device is protected by worldwide patents and is based upon our discovery that:
(i) albumin, a circulating protein involved in detoxification, has irreversibly reduced function in ACLF
(ii) endotoxemia (a build-up of endotoxins in the blood) contributes to an increased risk of infection in liver failure.

The term ALIVER was chosen for this project to emphasize the word ‘alive’. Through this project, the testing and implementation of the DIALIVE device, we aim to give hope to critically ill patients suffering from acute-on-chronic liver failure. The system being tested is not intended to be a replacement organ for the liver but a new therapy for chronic liver diseases.

DIALIVE incorporates albumin removal and replacement and, endotoxin removal. It is at ‘technology readiness level’ (TRL)5, which means it is validated in the disease environment.
In animal models of liver failure, DIALIVE showed it was:

• Easy to use
• Safe

And able to:

• Reduce endotoxemia
• Improve albumin and immune function
• Prolong survival