In 1997, Dr. William Lee proposed a model for a UT Southwestern endowed center that would provide a comprehensive approach for attacking a variety of liver diseases. This clinical and research center for liver diseases would combine cutting-edge research, diagnostic tools, and therapeutic techniques with a patient-friendly atmosphere.
"Initially the focus of the liver diseases clinic was Hepatitis treatment and research," said Dr. Lee, who joined UT Southwestern in 1990 as director of the clinic. "The surge in Hepatitis C cases during the 1990s caused a demand for screening, education, and research."
Fortunately, he was surrounded by a critical mass of clinicians and researchers at UT Southwestern dedicated to studying these diseases, and the successes of the program multiplied rapidly. Dr. Lee applied for and received support from the pharmaceutical industry, and major grants were awarded from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Dr. Lee and his colleagues have participated in many national trials to develop and improve treatments that may slow the progression, or eradicate, Hepatitis C or B. Hepatitis C is the most frequent cause of referrals to the liver center, with more than 2,500 patients seen annually. The Clinical Center for Liver Diseases is, also, taking part in an eight-year study sponsored by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to test the value of maintenance drug treatments in slowing the evolution of cirrhosis.
The Acute Liver Failure Study Group has grown to be a major part of Dr. Lee's continuing commitment to the clinic's mission. "Acute Liver Failure is a rare disease with fewer than 2,000 cases annually in the United States, but when it strikes suddenly, it is usually fatal," he said.
Funding from the NIH, FDA, and private sources helped Dr. Lee develop a study to increase research on Acute Liver Failure by combining the case experience of many centers.
The NIH grant allowed the group to expand its research to forty sites, which involved twenty-five adult and twenty-three pediatric centers. A detailed case registry and serum bank at UT Southwestern allows investigators to study the diseases in greater depth than previously possible.
Clinical trials have been the mainstay of the clinic during the past ten years, but now, with the planned establishment of the Center for Liver Diseases, Dr. Lee's focus is being extended to "translational" research -- research that links basic laboratory efforts with patient studies. Molecular biology is revolutionizing the study of viral Hepatitis by identifying how the virus mediates a persistent infection and resists antiviral therapy, and Dr. Lee is striving to reap the fruits of this new knowledge.
Viral Hepatitis B and C remain major causes of illness and death, each affecting more than 300 million people worldwide, particularly in developing countries. Starting this summer, a recently established fellowship will bring a physician from a developing country to spend a year at UT Southwestern, training in the care and study of viral Hepatitis patients.
"All of these advancements over the past decade have led to this critical moment in UT Southwestern's history, when the time is right for establishing a comprehensive, endowed Center for Liver Diseases," said Paul Bass, chairman of the board of Southwestern Medical Foundation. "And these magnificent donors -- all of whom have been touched by the disease and helped by Dr. Lee -- have come together to bring it to fruition."
