Singapore, April 29 -- When the liver fails, toxins - such as ammonia - that should be filtered from the blood build up and reach the brain. The result is hepatic encephalopathy (HE), a devastating neurological complication of liver disease that can cause anxiety, confusion, memory loss and, in severe cases, coma. HE is a common endpoint of liver cirrhosis, driving frequent hospitalisations and placing a heavy burden on patients and healthcare systems worldwide.

Current treatments offer only partial relief. The two mainstay therapies - lactulose and the antibiotic rifaximin - work primarily by reducing ammonia production in the gut, but neither corrects the full spectrum of metabolic disruptions that drive the disease.

A research team f...