ISLANDS: Scotland’s National MASLD Registry & Biobank – BDD’s Dr Lyn Corry sits down with Jonathan Fallowfield, Professor of Translational Liver Research at the University of Edinburgh
Filmed in the beautiful Willows Tea Room in Edinburgh, with a stunning view across to Edinburgh Castle, BDD’s Dr Lyn Corry sits down with Jonathan Fallowfield, Professor of Translational Liver Research at the University of Edinburgh to discuss MASLD and the potential impact of the ISLANDS project for patients, researchers and Scotland’s clinical research landscape. MASLD – Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease – is now the most common liver disease worldwide. Often described as a “silent” disease, it can progress without obvious symptoms and may lead to liver scarring, cirrhosis, liver failure or liver cancer. In this conversation, Lyn and Jonathan explore why MASLD matters, why early diagnosis is so important, and how ISLANDS aims to create Scotland’s first national MASLD registry and biobank. ISLANDS will aim to recruit 1,500 patients and follow them over at least five years, collecting clinical data, biological samples, FibroScan results and patient-reported outcomes. The goal is to better understand MASLD progression, identify higher-risk patients earlier, support biomarker discovery and help accelerate recruitment into future clinical trials. More than a registry, ISLANDS is designed to act as a research engine – connecting patients, clinicians, academia and industry to support innovation, precision medicine and better outcomes for people living with MASLD.