Figure 4.

Potential applications of in vitro models in translational research for NAFLD

The combination of ‘omics’ and cell cultures has the potential to enable the study NAFLD patients ‘in-the-dish’, resulting in the design of effective treatment or identification of predictive and prognostic biomarkers. In vitro NAFLD models, combined with metabolomic and genomic analyses/genetic variant studies, permit the identification of pharmacological targets and susceptible patient subpopulations. Once a putative drug – or combination of drugs – has been indicated as a candidate NAFLD therapy, several pharmacological investigations test the efficacy, cytotoxicity, and possible interactions between compounds. Drugs that are successfully triaged are funneled to clinical evaluation. The ultimate goal –which has not yet been achieved– would employ a precision medicine approach (gray) to the design of patient-tailored NAFLD treatments.