2025 Volume 66 Issue 4 Pages 105-124
The diagnosis of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has traditionally relied on liver biopsy, which remains the gold standard. However, this method poses several challenges, including invasiveness, high cost, and variability in diagnostic accuracy. To address these limitations, various noninvasive tests (NITs), including blood-based biomarkers and imaging modalities, have been developed for evaluating MASLD. The Japan NASH NIT (JANIT) Forum, established in 2020, serves as a multidisciplinary platform that fosters open innovation among clinicians specializing in MASLD, medical device and biomarker developers, and pharmaceutical industry experts. This study presents a comprehensive Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats analysis of different NITs, conducted by 36 JANIT Forum members (16 physicians and 20 corporate representatives). Based on this analysis, the JANIT Forum assessed the potential of NITs as surrogate markers for identifying high-risk MASLD patients and monitoring treatment efficacy.
