Paula Iruzubieta, a specialist in Digestive Diseases at the Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital and a researcher in the field of hepatology, has been selected in the INNVAL 2025 call for proposals. Her project, called ESPERANZA, proposes a new care strategy to improve risk stratification in patients with metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), one of the most prevalent chronic diseases worldwide.
The project puts forward an innovative approach that can be applied in real-world clinical practice: the simultaneous assessment of liver damage and cardiovascular risk using non-invasive tests that are already available, integrated into an agile and scalable care pathway. ESPERANZA aims to address an unmet clinical need in a complex, high-risk population—patients over 50 years of age with type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome.
“MASLD is not just a liver disease; cardiovascular events are the leading cause of mortality in these patients. Being able to assess both risks jointly and simply can make a real difference in clinical decision-making,” explains Iruzubieta.
An innovative clinical strategy using tools already available
The initiative is based on the clinical validation of two complementary lipidomic tools: the OWLiver® Panel, aimed at identifying steatohepatitis and significant fibrosis, and Liposcale®, which enables a more precise estimation of cardiovascular risk. Combining both within a single care pathway would simplify the diagnostic approach, reduce reliance on invasive procedures, and improve early identification of patients at higher risk of disease progression.
The project includes the participation of Rubió Metabolomics as a technology partner, responsible for carrying out the lipidomic analyses and facilitating the translation of results into the clinical setting. “One of ESPERANZA’s strengths is that it does not start from scratch, but rather integrates existing tools with prior evidence and adapts them to a realistic and efficient care model,” the researcher notes.
Healthcare impact, efficiency, and personalized medicine
If its clinical usefulness is confirmed, this strategy could help optimize care pathways, prioritize specialized follow-up for the patients who need it most, and improve healthcare system efficiency in the face of the high prevalence of MASLD. It also reinforces a personalized medicine model based on precise risk stratification and more informed clinical decision-making.
The INNVAL program, promoted by IDIVAL, aims to foster innovation and intrapreneurship within the public healthcare environment of Cantabria, supporting projects with potential for transfer to the Spanish National Health System and promoting collaboration among clinical, academic, and business sectors. With a duration of two years, these grants serve as a key lever to validate new solutions and bring them closer to routine clinical practice.
