Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis and Autoimmune Liver Disease Program

The primary sclerosing cholangitis and autoimmune liver disease program at UChicago Medicine provides comprehensive care for individuals living with cholestatic and autoimmune liver diseases. Our specialists are advancing the clinical and basic knowledge in biliary and hepatic autoimmune disease, providing a clinical and research center of excellence that is the only one of its kind in the Chicago area.

Areas of Focus

State-of-the-Art Clinical Protocols

Our treatment plans use state-of-the-art protocols that are designed to address our patients’ specific needs. Our team specializes in medical management, interventional procedures, innovative surgical approaches, nutritional support and, if needed, liver transplantation. Our innovative protocols include screening in high-risk populations, cancer surveillance strategies and management of liver and colonic inflammation.

Patient Registry and Biobank

We maintain a large longitudinal registry and have collected tissue, blood, and stool from patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) over the last decade. These resources are being utilized in several studies by researchers to investigate why develops, discover new treatments, and personalize an approach for diagnosing and monitoring PSC develops. In addition, we collaborate with other prominent PSC centers to build upon existing PSC patient registries.

Outreach Initiatives

We are dedicated to educating the medical and patient communities about autoimmune liver diseases. Our team provides educational talks, CME events and patient education videos to increase awareness and understanding for primary sclerosing cholangitis.

Clinical Trials and Research

What primary sclerosing cholangitis research is currently underway at UChicago Medicine?

Our research team studies which patients are most likely to develop primary sclerosing cholangitis and examines biologic mechanisms to better understand why it develops.

Using resources like our patient registry and biobank, our team investigates the interaction of environmental triggers, the gut microbiome, and individual immune responses in the intestine and liver to understand how PSC progresses.

Developing a better understanding of the connections between the microbiome and diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmune hepatitis and primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) helps us to identify treatments for preventing inflammation as well as cancer.

Team of Experts

Our specialized team provides comprehensive and collaborative care for patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis and autoimmune liver disease. Our team includes experts in liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and hepatobiliary surgery as well as radiology, pathology, immunology and nutrition.