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A clinician named Sumita Verma carrying out a fibroscan on a patient with a nurse, looking at a computer screen in a yellow room
Brighton & Sussex Medical School

Brighton and Sussex Liver Research Centre (BSLRC)

BSMS > Research > Clinical and experimental medicine > Brighton and Sussex Liver Research Centre

Brighton and Sussex Liver Research Centre (BSLRC)

Brighton and Sussex Liver Research Centre (BSLRC): Transforming liver care through inclusive, impactful research.

Why Liver Research Matters

Liver disease deaths in England have risen by over 60% in the past 20 years, with alcohol use responsible for 60% of cases.

Vulnerable populations—those experiencing homelessness or drug use—face disproportionately high rates of liver disease and hepatitis C (HCV), yet often struggle to access traditional healthcare. BSLRC is committed to changing this.

Doctor conducts ultrasound examination of patientv kidneys. Internal organs ultrasound concept. female's lower back diagnosis carried out with the use of an ultrasound

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Our Vision

To become an internationally recognised liver centre delivering high-impact clinical research that directly benefits patients.

We champion:

  • Inclusion health
  • National and international collaboration
  • Capacity building
  • Education and training

Our guiding principles are: Integrity, Equity, Teamwork

Heath care professional at work in a hospital setting wearing scrubs

Our Goals

A hexagon showing the 6 goals of the Liver research Centre
  • Early Liver Diagnosis in Vulnerable Adults

Developing and evaluating community-based models of care, with a focus on HCV elimination.

  • Advanced Chronic Liver Disease

Improving symptom management and access to palliative care, especially for complications like refractory ascites.

  • Autoimmune Hepatitis

Identifying predictors of outcomes to improve treatment pathways.

  • Education & Training

BSMS is a regional hub for hepatology training, offering fellowships, academic meetings, and national/international conference opportunities.

  • Capacity Building

Promoting sustainability, leadership, and organisational development.

  • Active Collaboration

Working with charities, community researchers, healthcare providers, and academic institutions.

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Key Research Projects

Community Liver Care Models

  • ITTREAT

Holistic care for people who use drugs. Final results published 2024.

  • VALID

Liver care in homeless hostels. Final publication 2022.

  • END C

Multi-site model for homeless populations. Final publication expected 2026.

Impact:

  • 80% HCV cure rates
  • National adoption and policy influence
  • Multiple awards and recognitions


Palliative Care Innovations

  • REDUCe & REDUCe2 Studies

Long-term abdominal drains for refractory ascites. REDUCe2 is a 35-site national trial.

Impact:

  • Informed national and international guidelines
  • NICE expert involvement
  • Future policy influence

See our REDUCe2 sites on the map below and see more on the Reduce2 project on the dedicated website.

Read more on Reduce2 here >

A map of the UK with yellow dots to show the REDUCe2 sites

 

Meet the team

sumita verma_web

Professor Sumita Verma – Director

A head and shoulders photo of Lucia Macken

Dr Lucia Macken – Assistant Director

A head and shoulders photo of Yazan Haddadin

Dr Yazan Haddadin – Clinical Research Fellow

A head and shoulders photo of Adele Mourad

Dr Adele Mourad – Clinical Research Fellow

A head and shoulders image of Ben To

Dr Ben To – Clinical Research Fellow

Helena Harder1

Dr Helena Harder – SHORE-C

Rachel Starkings

Dr Rachel Starkings – SHORE-C

Alison Porges profile photo

Alison Porges – Trial Manager

Debbie Lambert web

Debbie Lambert – Data Manager

A head shot photo of Gina Richards

Gina Richards – Data Manager

Vasso Anagnostopoulou profile photo

Dr Vasso Anagnostopoulou –Statistician

Deeptima Massey profile photo

Dr Deeptima Massey – Senior Research Manager and Centre Coordinator

A head and shoulders image of Tyler Jones

Tyler Jones – Research Coordinator

A head and shoulders photo of Matt Bemment from BSMS

Matt Bemment – Senior Communications Officer

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Clinical Trials

A group of people from the REDUCe2 team outside a building on a sunny day

We have expertise in running large multicentre national clinical trials. The current REDUCe2 study funded by the NIHR (HTA) is assessing the role of long-term (tunnelled) abdominal drains as a palliative intervention for refractory ascites (abdominal fluid accumulation) due to cirrhosis. It is being run across 35 sites in England, Scotland and Wales. We work closely with the Brighton and Sussex Clinical Trials Unit who provide expertise in trial management and quality assurance.

Find out more >

Putting Patients First

Service users and national charities are integral to our research. They co-design studies, co-author publications, and serve on trial committees.

We have worked extensively with people with lived experience, patient groups and charities. PPI has always been a strong focus of our research. They have been involved with study design including selection of study outcomes, as well as selection of patient reported outcome tools.

Our PPI group have been co applicants on grant applications, represented in our Trial Management Group and Trial Steering Committee and been co-authors on publications. They are integral to the successful delivery of our research.

"Thanks so much for giving his dignity and hope back into what had become such a miserable existence for him. I know that your research project will change many lives for the better." 

"Things have improved so much with me, I have established substantial weight gain eating better, which in turn has improved my mobility. I have never felt so well and energised for the last two years, I am not claiming that it is a miracle, but something is working in my favour, so I am going with the flow."

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Our Impact

Transforming Liver Care for Disenfranchised Individuals Through Pioneering HCV and Advanced Disease Interventions

Brighton and Hove has some of the highest homelessness rates in the UK, leaving people vulnerable to poor health, addiction and infections like hepatitis C (HCV). Over the last decade, Professor Sumita Verma and her team have delivered HCV care directly within community settings, offering screening, treatment and liver scans through a flexible, supportive, joined-up community care approach. This approach has been highly successful, improving access, achieving cure rates comparable to hospitals, and helping patients address wider health and social issues. Their work has had a strong and far-reaching impact, reshaping services and improving outcomes for some of the most marginalised groups. Their model has influenced national practice and supports the UK’s goal to eliminate HCV by 2025.

The team is also pioneering home-based care for people with fluid in abdomen (ascites) due to  advanced liver disease. They are studying long-term abdominal drains (LTADs), aiming to improve symptoms and reduce hospital visits. Following promising early results, they are leading a major national trial to assess this intervention further.

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News and events

  • The BSLRC will officially launch on Thursday 4 December 2025, from 4:30-7pm at the Medical Teaching Building, University of Sussex campus. View the poster for the centre's launch below.

View the launch event >

  • Sumita Verma Chaired position paper commissioned by European Association for Study of Liver (EASL) on palliative care in advanced chronic liver disease
  • Lucia Macken appointed lead for British Liver Association Study of Liver Disease Palliative Hepatology Group
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Publications

Here are some key publications from our team:

Additional publications:

  • Haddadin Y; Anagnostopoulou A; Bremner S; Harder H; Starkings R; Lambert L; Porges A; Nicky Perry; Wood W; Arbon A; Gage H; Glover H; Macken L; Johnston M; Ganai B; Joshi D; Hudson B; Butler C; Richardson A; Wright M; Prentice W; O'Brien A; Bedlington J;  Steer S; Gaskin T; Verma S. Palliative Long-term Abdominal Drains vs. Large Volume Paracentesis for refractory ascites secondary to cirrhosis: protocol for a definitive randomised controlled trial (REDUCe2 study). Trials.2025;26:193. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-025-08873-z
  • Mourad A , McGeer R, Gray E, Bibby-Jones AM, Gage H, Salvaggio L, Charles V, Sanderson N, O’Sullivan M, Bird T, Verma S. A Novel Multisite Model to Facilitate Hepatitis C Virus Elimination in People Experiencing Homelessness. JHep Reports. 2024;12;6:101183 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhepr.2024.101183
  • O’Sullivan M, Jones AM, Mourad A, Haddadin Y, Verma S. Excellent HCV cure rates despite increasing complexity of people who use drugs: ITTREAT study final outcomes. J Viral Hepat. 2024;31:66-77. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvh.13897
  • Verma S, Hingwala J, Low JT, Patel AA, Verma M, Bremner S, Haddadin Y, Shinall MC, Komenda P, Ufere NN. Palliative clinical trials in advanced chronic liver Disease: challenges and opportunities.  J Hepatol. 2023;79:1236-1253 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2023.06.018 
  • Verma S, Verne J, Ufere N. Palliative Care in Advanced Liver Disease: Time for Action. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol.2023;8:106-108. DOI: 10.1016/S2468-1253(22)00382-X
  • Macken L, Corrigan M, Prentice W, Finlay F, McDonagh J, Rajoriya N, Salmon C, Donnelly MC, Evans CJ, Ganai B, Bedlington J, Steer S, Wright M, Hudson B, Verma S on behalf of the British Association for the Study of the Liver/British Society of Gastroenterology (BASL/BSG) End of Life Special Interest Group. Palliative Long-term Abdominal Drains for the Management of Refractory Ascites due to Cirrhosis: A Consensus Document. Frontline Gastroenterol. 2022;13:e116–e125. https://doi.org/10.1136/flgastro-2022-102128
  • Hashim A, Bremner S,  Grove JI, Astbury S, Mengozzi M, O’Sullivan M, Macken L, Worthley T, Katarey D, Aithal GP, Verma S. Chronic Liver Disease in Homeless Individuals and Performance of Non-Invasive Liver Fibrosis and Injury Markers: VALID Study.  Liver Internat. 2022;42:628-639. https://doi.org/10.1111/liv.15122
  • Hashim A, Macken L, Jones AM, Mcgeer R, Verma S. Community-Based Assessment and Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus-Related Liver Disease, Injecting Drug and Alcohol Use Amongst People Who Are Homeless: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Int J Drug Policy. 2021; 96:103342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103342 
  • Aithal GP, Palaniyappan N, China L, Harmala S, Macken L, Ryan J, Wilkes E, Moore K, Leithead J, Hayes P, O’Brien A, Verma S. British Society of Gastroenterology. Guidelineson the management  of ascites in cirrhosis. Gut. 2021;70:9-29. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2020-321790
  • Macken L, Bremner S, Gage H, Touray M, Williams P, Crook D, Mason L, Lambert D, Evans CJ, Cooper M, Timeyin J, Steer S,  Austin M, Parnell N, Thomson SJ, Sheridan D, Wright M, Isaacs P, Hashim A, Verma S. Randomised Clinical Trial: Palliative Long-term Abdominal Drains Versus Large Volume Paracentesis In Refractory Ascites Due to Cirrhosis. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2020;52:107-122. https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15802
  • O’Sullivan M, Jones AM, Gage H, Jordan J, MacPepple M, Williams H, Verma S. ITTREAT (Integrated Community Test - stage - TREAT) Hepatitis C Service for People who Use Drugs: Real World Outcomes. Liver Int. 2020;40:1021-1031. https://doi.org/10.1111/liv.14403
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Join our research community

If you’re interested in joining the Brighton & Sussex Liver Research Centre as a collaborator or researcher or simply want to receive updates on our work please fill out the form below.

To connect with us email at liver@bsms.ac.uk

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