ERN RARE-LIVER 2026 Meeting with participation of the Department of Hepatology, Transplantology and Internal Medicine at UCK WUM

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Three people are standing next to each other in front of a roll-up banner with the ERN RARE-LIVER logo. They are standing close together and looking toward the camera. The background features a white banner with visible text about care for patients with rare liver diseases. On the right side, there is a wooden door.
The international meeting of the European Reference Network RARE-LIVER (ERN RARE-LIVER) is one of the most important events dedicated to rare liver diseases, bringing together experts from across Europe. It serves as a platform for exchanging experience and developing standards of care for patients. This year’s meeting, held in February in Prague, was attended by representatives of the Department of Hepatology, Transplantology and Internal Medicine of the University Clinical Center of the Medical University of Warsaw (UCK WUM).

The Department of Hepatology, Transplantology and Internal Medicine of UCK WUM is one of only two Polish centers belonging to the elite ERN RARE-LIVER network, which brings together specialized hepatology centers across Europe and operates under the auspices of the European Commission.

WUM was represented in Prague by: Prof. Piotr Milkiewicz, the official representative of the UCK WUM center in the ERN RARE-LIVER network; Prof. Joanna Raszeja-Wyszomirska, Head of the Department and Clinical Unit; and Dr. Maciej Janik, a member of the ERN RARE-LIVER Board.

What was discussed in Prague?

Experts from leading academic, clinical, and research institutions met in Prague, together with patient representatives and guests from the European Commission, other ERN networks, and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). They discussed the most current challenges and directions for the development of care for patients with rare liver diseases, as well as ways to improve treatment effectiveness.

Dr. Maciej Janik’s presentation – an important voice from Poland

A notable distinction for our center was the presentation delivered by Dr. Maciej Janik, who discussed quality-of-life aspects in patients with rare liver diseases. His presentation attracted considerable attention from participants and sparked discussion about the need for a holistic approach to treatment that considers not only clinical test results but also, more broadly, patients’ psychological well-being, social activity, and everyday functioning. This represents an important step toward incorporating the patient perspective into the development of modern therapeutic standards.

Why WUM’s participation in ERN RARE-LIVER matters for patients

As part of ERN RARE-LIVER, our center actively participates in research and registry projects, as well as in work on management protocols for rare liver diseases.

One example of such involvement is Prof. Piotr Milkiewicz’s participation in a very narrow group of European experts who developed guidelines for implementation in clinical practice regarding chronic fatigue in primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). The guidelines were published several months ago in Lancet Gastro Hepatol.

During the meeting in Prague, Prof. Joanna Raszeja-Wyszomirska also proposed a new project on pharmacotherapy in PBC, which attracted significant interest. The project will be coordinated by a team from our department.

Participation in the ERN network also provides access to the latest knowledge and the opportunity to consult complex cases with experts from leading centers across Europe. This contributes to providing patients with the most effective care possible.

 

One person is standing at a lectern and giving a presentation. On the large screen behind them, there is a group photo of several dozen meeting participants arranged in several rows. Below the photograph, there is a short description in English regarding the number of participants and their roles in the project. The person at the lectern is directing their attention toward the audience
A photo of Prague at night.