Innovations in Chronic Liver Disease: Emerging Therapies & Clinical Advances 2026

The 11th Annual Chronic Liver Disease Seminar from SC Liver Research Consortium

Agenda:

Pre-Program Assignments (Virtual)

• Pre-Lecture 1 -- Viral Hepatitis Background -- A summary of natural history of HBV & HCV (25 mins)

• Pre-Lecture 2 -- End-Stage Liver Disease: A systematic overview of Treatment, Managing Complications chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and the transplant process (45 mins)

Live Program

7:30 AM

• Registration and Exhibits

8-8:15 AM

Welcome, Goals, and Framing the Landscape of Liver Disease

• Introductions and pre-test

• Overview: burden of disease, shifting epidemiology

• How viral, cholestatic, metabolic, and oncologic pathways interrelate

8:15-9 AM (45 Min)

Session 1 - Viral Hepatitis: Updates in 2025

Part A: Hepatitis B&C

• Brief History

• Epidemiology and elimination targets

• Current DAA therapy

• Screening pipelines and micro-elimination strategies

Part B: Hepatitis Delta and E

• Interaction with HBV

• New antivirals & interferon-based strategies for HBV

• Bulevirtide for Delta Hepatitis

• Who to screen and when to treat

Format: Lecture + Case vignette with patient perspective Outcome: Learners understand where we have cures and where we still need innovation.

9-9:40 AM (40 Min)

Session 2 - Cholestatic Disease: Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC)

• Pathogenesis and hallmark diagnostic features

• Role of UDCA and PPARs

• Use of genetic diagnostics to guide early detection, risk stratification and long-term management

• Clinical pearls: pruritus management, fatigue, monitoring for complications

Format: Interactive clinical review

9:40-10:15 AM -- break/exhibits

10:15 -11 AM (45 Min)

Session 3 - Metabolic Liver Disease: MASH/MASLD and Fibrosis

• Metabolic origins and systemic drivers

• Treatment evolution: from lifestyle to GLP-1s, FGF21 analogs, and THR-β agonists

• How to assess fibrosis (noninvasive + biopsy)

• Case-based algorithm: managing the patient with MASLD + comorbidities

Format: Lecture + Algorithm walk-through

11-11:40 (40 Min)

Session 4 - Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease (ALD)

• From steatosis → hepatitis → fibrosis → cirrhosis

• Recognizing severe alcohol-associated hepatitis & management updates

• New medications for alcohol-use disorder impacting liver outcomes

• Integrating metabolic and alcohol pathways (dual-etiology liver disease)

Format: Case-driven

11:40-12:45 PM -- Lunch with product theater

12:45-1:40 PM (55 min)

Session 5 - Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) in 2025

• Risk factors and cirrhosis interplay

• Updated screening: ultrasound limitations, CT/MRI, biomarkers

• Case-based review with imaging

• Immunotherapy combinations (IO + VEGF, IO + IO)

• Curative vs. non-curative pathways (TACE, ablation, transplant implications)

Format: Lecture + imaging review

1:40-2:20 PM (40 Min)

Session 6 - End-Stage Liver Disease and Cirrhosis Management

• Portal hypertension, HRS, HE, ascites

• Timing of transplant referral & new allocation considerations

• Palliative care integration

• Patient perspective -- stories from real patients

• Interaction with HCC decision-making

Format: Board-style clinical cases

2:20-2:50 PM (30 Min)

Closing Panel - Integrating the Liver Disease Continuum

• How viral, cholestatic, metabolic, oncologic, and alcohol-associated diseases connect

• Practical algorithms for primary care, GI, hepatology, and endocrine practices

• Use of AI for the clinician and the patient

• Q&A

Format: Multi-disciplinary panel (Hepatology, GI, Endocrinology, Oncology)

2:50-3 PM (10 Min)

Post-test and wrap

Post-Program Assignments (Virtual)

• Lecture 3 - Fluid Management, Ascites and Hepatorenal Syndrome (45 mins)

• Lecture 4 -- EASL Update -- Highlights of the 2025 EASL Liver Meeting (60 mins)

Total CME Hours: 8.5

Live: 5.5 Hours

Virtual: 3 Hours