Plasma cell-free DNA methylation: a liquid biomarker of hepatic fibrosis

We recently reported dynamic epigenetic markers of fibrosis detectable in patients’ plasma that may have utility in non-invasive diagnosis and staging of fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease.1 Specifically, we uncovered DNA methylation markers at the human PPARγ promoter detectable in circulating cell-free DNA (ccfDNA) that display differential methylation densities. Remarkably, PPARγ hypermethylation correlated with progression to...