Centenary partners in transformative national liver health program

Fatty liver disease (also known as Metabolic Associated Fatty Liver Disease, MAFLD) is a rapidly growing and yet silent threat to public health. MAFLD has become the leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide and is increasingly driving cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer.

As obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome rise, the burden of liver disease is expected to grow significantly in the coming years.

Against this backdrop, Snow Medical’s long-term, 7-year commitment will fund a consortium of Australia’s leading liver researchers and clinicians through the Snow Program for Liver Health. This initiative will be headquartered at the Storr Liver Centre at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research and bring together researchers and clinicians from the Centenary Institute, the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre, and Westmead and Royal Prince Alfred Hospitals and other partners nationally to fast-track breakthroughs in diagnosis, treatment and prevention.

Tom Snow, Chair of Snow Medical, said the program reflects the kind of long-term, high‑impact science the Foundation is committed to supporting.

“Fatty liver disease is one of the biggest and most under‑recognised health threats of our time. It affects millions of Australians, yet we still lack the basic scientific understanding and treatments needed to address it effectively. That is why Snow Medical is committing to long-term, team-based science giving outstanding researchers the stability and resources to tackle problems on this scale.”

“Our family has a close personal connection to this work. My father, Terry Snow, lived with liver disease, and so we know firsthand how devastating and how poorly understood these conditions can be.”

Professor Marc Pellegrini, Centenary Institute Executive Director, said the Institute was proud to contribute its expertise to the research collaboration.

“This initiative brings together exceptional scientific and clinical leaders with a shared goal of tackling one of Australia’s major health challenges. At Centenary, we have deep expertise in understanding how liver disease begins and progresses, and this national effort gives us a powerful opportunity to accelerate research and ultimately deliver better diagnosis, better treatments and better outcomes for patients.”

Professor Jacob George, head of the Storr Liver Centre at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research (WIMR), welcomed the partnership with Snow Medical, calling it “transformative”.

“This is a landmark commitment that allows us to unite Australia’s leading scientific and clinical experts to tackle a disease that has been accelerating faster than the health system can currently respond. Snow Medical’s support gives us the opportunity to conduct bold, collaborative, long-term science, work that simply isn’t possible under conventional short-term funding models.”

Professor Geoff McCaughan from the Centenary Institute and a lead investigator on the project said, “One key strength of this program is its interdisciplinary nature, leveraging basic immune system, metabolic and ageing research, as well as clinical diagnostics and large patient cohorts from diverse backgrounds.”

Sally Castle, the CEO of Liver Foundation added, “Every day we hear from patients living with fatty liver disease who are confused about what to do and worried about their disease progressing. This multi-year investment offers real hope that research can lead to earlier diagnosis, better treatments, and prevention, particularly for diverse communities across Australia who are disproportionately affected. It is exactly the kind of coordinated, patient-focused research effort that is urgently needed.”