CRN Studies

About the NASH Clinical Research Network (NASH CRN)
In 2002, the NIH decided to study fatty liver disease and provided research funding to nine universities across the country. Saint Louis University is one of the sites. The other study sites are listed on the NASH CRN website.

There are 3 studies for people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) currently underway at Saint Louis University.  To completely understand the studies, more information will be provided to you by the study coordinator, Dr. Tetri or Dr. Derdoy if you are interested.

The NAFLD Database observational study

The NAFLD Database is an observational study that collects a lot of information from adults and children with fatty liver disease, or cirrhosis caused by fatty liver disease, and follows subjects for up to 4 years.

PIVENS: Pioglitazone vs vitamin E vs placebo for the treatment of NASH

PIVENS is a treatment trial with an insulin sensitizer or an antioxidant in adults with NASH.

TONIC: Treatment of NAFLD in children

TONIC is a treatment trial with an insulin sensitizer or an antioxidant in children with Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Ancillary studies

People enrolled in the database study may be offered the opportunity to participate in limited short-term studies over the next 4 years. These are called “ancillary studies” and have not yet been developed. Participation will be strictly voluntary and you will be provided complete information before you decide if you want to participate or not.

About participating in clinical studies
Medical research is the organized collection of information in order to determine the causes and consequences of disease and whether treatments are effective. Without well-conducted research, we would have to rely on opinions and instincts, both of which can be very wrong. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) supports much of the medical research conducted in the United States.

Whether you participate in a clinical study is completely your choice. The benefits and risks to you will be fully explained before you are involved. This is a process called "informed consent." Be sure to ask lots of questions. If you choose not to be involved, nobody will be mad at you and your routine care will not be influenced. Many people feel good about contributing to medical knowledge that may help themselves or others.

Before participating in any study, we will describe it in detail to you and you will be asked to sign a consent form. You may take the consent form home before signing to think about it and discuss it with others.

For more information in participating in clinical trials, go to the Office for Human Research Protections ( OHRP), especially the section on “Public Outreach” where you can find a list of good questions to ask. Open OHRP brochure as a PDF (warning: large file).

There are 3 studies for people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) currently underway at Saint Louis University. The descriptions below are short and do not fully describe the studies. More details are provided on the links to the left. To completely understand the studies, more information will be provided to you by the study coordinator, Dr. Tetri or Dr. Barlow if you are interested.