About

Ethan M Weinberg, MD, MS, is an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine in the Department of Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. His clinical expertise encompasses a range of liver diseases including Fatty Liver Disease, Viral Hepatitis, Autoimmune Hepatitis, Cholestatic Liver Diseases, Hepatic Sarcoid, Alcohol-associated Liver Disease, Cirrhosis and its complications such as Ascites, Hepatic Encephalopathy, and Portal Hypertension. He is involved in the treatment and management of these conditions, contributing to patient care at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on clinical trials in liver disease, particularly MASLD/NAFLD (Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease), MASH/NASH (Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis), Autoimmune Hepatitis, Hepatic Sarcoid, Ascites and its complications, Alcohol-associated liver disease and hepatitis, Decompensations of chronic liver disease, Primary Biliary Cholangitis, Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis, and Polycystic Liver Disease. Dr. Weinberg has contributed to understanding the pathogenesis of liver diseases, including the effects of HIV/HCV coinfection and the mechanisms of liver fibrosis and hepatocyte apoptosis. His work includes clinical investigations and publications in the field of hepatology, emphasizing the molecular and clinical aspects of liver disease progression and treatment.

Research topics

• Biology
• Cell biology
• Genetics
• Molecular biology
• Anatomy

Selected publications

• Safety and Efficacy of Zetomipzomib in Relapsed or Insufficiently Responding Autoimmune Hepatitis: Results from the Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Phase 2a PORTOLA Study and Open-Label Extension

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2026-01-01

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• FRI-223 Intermediate-term survival in patients with hepatorenal syndrome-acute kidney injury treated with terlipressin

  Journal of Hepatology · 2025-05-01

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Evaluation of a screening protocol for telomere biology disorders in individuals with interstitial lung disease undergoing lung transplant evaluation

  ERJ Open Research · 2025-02-20 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  Background: Because of the potential for extrapulmonary disease, it is important for lung transplant programmes to identify telomere biology disorder (TBD)-related interstitial lung disease (ILD). The aim of this study was to evaluate a TBD phenotype screen among ILD patients undergoing lung transplant evaluation, including the sensitivity and specificity of individual phenotype screening questions and the characteristics of patients with TBD identified outside of the screening protocol. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of adults with ILD who underwent lung transplant evaluation from 1 January 2018 to 28 February 2023. The TBD phenotype screen included early greying, family history of ILD and unexplained liver disease, cytopenias or macrocytosis. TBD screen-positive patients underwent telomere length (TL) testing. Results: Among 383 patients evaluated, 92 (24.0%) had a positive phenotype screen. 58 (63.0%) had early greying, 39 (42.4%) had a first-degree relative with ILD and 29 (31.5%) had unexplained macrocytosis or cytopenias. Using granulocyte and lymphocyte TL <10th percentile, 51 (55.4%) patients met criteria for a TBD. Early greying had the highest sensitivity for TBD (72.5%) with specificity increasing with the number of positive screening questions. Among the 23 patients who underwent TL testing outside of the screening protocol, most commonly because of an early age of onset of ILD, eight (34.8%) had TL between the 1st and 10th percentile. Conclusions: Lymphocyte and granulocyte TL <10th is common among TBD phenotype screen-positive ILD patients undergoing transplant evaluation. Inclusion of additional screening questions related to age of onset of ILD could improve the sensitivity of the protocol for short TL.

  PublisherDOI

• Artificial intelligence to identify harmful alcohol use after early liver transplant for alcohol-associated hepatitis

  UNC Libraries · 2025-04-18

  articleOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Sarcoid liver disease – A review article

  Hepatology · 2025-10-08 · 1 citations

  review1st authorCorresponding

  Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic inflammatory disease characterized by heterogeneous clinical manifestations and granuloma formation in the organs involved. Diagnosing systemic sarcoidosis requires a multidisciplinary approach and the exclusion of other pathologies; after diagnosis, organ involvement and disease extent are further assessed. Genetic factors influence not only the risk of sarcoidosis development but also the disease course. The clinical course of systemic sarcoidosis is highly variable, ranging from a self-limited disease that does not require long-term therapy to a rapidly progressive, symptomatic disease requiring immunosuppression. The liver is a commonly affected organ in sarcoidosis; while most patients with systemic sarcoidosis have hepatic granulomas, a minority will experience significant liver disease. In hepatic sarcoidosis, granulomas can cause a cholestatic liver injury, exemplified by elevated serum ALP and GGT, though neither is pathognomonic, and there are no hepatic sarcoid-specific biomarkers to monitor disease activity. Patients with ongoing hepatic inflammation require the initiation of disease-modifying agents to prevent fibrosis and decompensation. This review article summarizes the existing literature on etiology, risk factors, pathogenesis, clinical features, and the management of hepatic sarcoid.

  PublisherDOI

• Safety and efficacy of continuous infusion terlipressin (BIV201): A phase 2 trial in patients with decompensated cirrhosis and refractory ascites

  Liver Transplantation · 2025-04-24 · 7 citations

  articleOpen access

  Refractory ascites often requires therapeutic paracentesis, which is associated with potential risks and diminished quality of life. Terlipressin is a vasopressin analog that is indicated for i.v. bolus injection for hepatorenal syndrome, with the potential to reduce large-volume ascites and its complications. Continuous infusion of terlipressin is associated with fewer adverse effects than bolus dosing. The efficacy and safety of continuous infusion of a novel liquid formulation of terlipressin acetate (BIV201) were evaluated in this open-label phase 2 study. Patients with cirrhosis and refractory ascites were randomly assigned (2:1) to receive two 28-day cycles of continuous infusion BIV201 plus standard of care (SOC) separated by a ≤56-day washout (n=10), or SOC alone (n=5). Data analysis was limited by the small sample size and confounded by a potential interaction with gabapentinoids in the BIV201+SOC group. Nonetheless, there were differences in favor of BIV201+SOC versus SOC in the coprimary efficacy endpoints and several quality of life assessments. The beneficial effects of BIV201 on liver complications (mean: 90% CI; BIV201-completers=2.87: 1.51; 5.46 vs. SOC=2.38: 1.20; 4.73) and the change in cumulative ascites (mean: 90% CI; BIV201-completers=-10.76: -26.51; 5.00 vs. SOC=-4.99: -21.95; 11.97) were more pronounced versus SOC in the 5 BIV201+SOC patients who completed both treatment cycles. There were also greater improvements in exploratory quality of life assessments and the percent change in therapeutic paracenteses with BIV201+SOC (-27.94±41.80) versus SOC (-16.67±45.64). Despite the high rate of hyponatremia in the BIV201+SOC group (4/10 patients), the safety profile suggested that continuous BIV201 infusion was well tolerated. These findings support further development of BIV201 in confirmatory trials.

  PublisherDOI

• LIVE-SMART: A sequential, multiple assignment randomized trial to reduce falls in cirrhosis

  Hepatology Communications · 2025-02-19 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  INTRODUCTION: Falls are a major threat to the well-being of patients with cirrhosis. We are performing a clinical trial to determine whether lactulose, TeleTai-Chi, or their combination will reduce falls in HE and improve health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among patients with cirrhosis. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension without HE will be enrolled in 3 US states and followed participants for 24 weeks. In stage 1 (12 wk), participants will be randomized to receive either lactulose therapy or enhanced usual care. In stage 2 (12 wk), participants will be randomized to either TeleTai-Chi or usual care. The primary outcome is a hierarchical composite: Injurious falls, noninjurious falls, incident HE, and death/transplantation. Secondary outcomes include cognitive function, days-alive and out-of-hospital, and HRQOL. After completion of the interventions, participants will be followed for 48 weeks for health and financial outcomes. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Our study has a central institutional review board with individual site IRB review. Dissemination includes the publication of study findings and patient-focused educational webinars.

  PublisherDOI

• S2835 Low Risk of Decompensation in Adults With Compensated Chronic Liver Disease

  The American Journal of Gastroenterology · 2025-10-01

  articleSenior author

  Introduction: Endoscopic screening for esophageal varices (EV) in patients with cirrhosis is invasive, costly, and can usually be avoided in patients who meet the low-risk Baveno criteria (liver stiffness <20 kPa and platelets >150 × 10⁹/L). The rate of transition from compensated to decompensated liver disease is about 5%-7% each year. Our goal was to evaluate the temporal trends in EV screening and the risk of decompensation in the context of evolving portal hypertension guidelines at a large American liver clinic. Methods: We performed a single-center retrospective cohort study of adults with compensated advanced chronic liver disease seen in January to March of the following years: 2014, 2018, and 2022. We used descriptive statistics to characterize the study population. We calculated the proportion of patients who had a decompensation within 3 years and assessed their characteristics. Results: We found a low rate of decompensations at 1.6% within 3 years for patients with compensated chronic liver disease. There were a total of 2 out of 124 patients that decompensated, one related to progression of hepatocellular carcinoma resulting in liver failure and death within 6 months of the visit. This patient had platelets of 143 × 109/L was not on a NSBB and did not have esophageal varices on a recent EGD. Another patient had platelets of 130 × 109/L, was on nadalol, grade 2 non-bleeding esophageal varices, with no intervention and had a gastric variceal bleed about 6 months after screening. Conclusion: Patients with compensated chronic liver disease are at very low risk of decompensations and are being over screened for esophageal varices. Patients with criteria for clinically significant portal hypertension will benefit from non-invasive management and the recommended initiation of NSBB from Baveno VII guidelines. Future work will look at temporal changes with 2024 data.

  PublisherDOI

• Autoimmune hepatitis: Current and future therapies

  Hepatology Communications · 2024-06-01 · 33 citations

  reviewOpen accessSenior author

  Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic inflammatory liver disease that can lead to cirrhosis and liver failure. AIH can present in all ages, races, and ethnicities, but it predominantly affects women. As a heterogeneous disease, AIH presents variably in different patients, making diagnosis and treatment a challenge. Currently, the standard treatment for AIH comprises immunosuppressants; however, their long-term use is associated with adverse effects. The pathogenesis of AIH is complex, involving T cells, macrophages, and plasma cells that invade the periportal parenchyma and lead to an inflammatory cascade that can result in liver damage. Due to the complexity of AIH pathogenesis, treatment targets several inflammatory pathways. However, unlike other autoimmune diseases in which targeted treatments have been approved, there has been little progress made in advancing the treatment paradigm for AIH. Major obstacles to progress include challenges in conducting clinical trials, particularly patient recruitment and ensuring a diverse range of backgrounds; poorly defined outcomes to assess treatment response and improved quality of life; and a lack of study designs that account for the stage of disease and variations in treatment. A focus on individualized and steroid-free treatment approaches is needed to improve AIH prognosis and minimize steroid-associated adverse effects.

  PublisherDOI

• Current and Emerging Treatments for Autoimmune Hepatitis.

  PubMed · 2024-03-01

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDF

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R01HD039272

  NIH · $1.3M · 2007

• NIH Grant R01NS041398

  NIH · $815k · 2006

• NIH Grant R01NS034365

  NIH · $680k · 2001

• NIH Grant R01DC003080

  NIH · $1.7M · 2009

• NIH Grant R01GM027322

  NIH · $1.1M · 1992

Frequent coauthors

• S. Maegawa

  11 shared

• David J. Kozlowski

  Multiple Sclerosis Society

  7 shared

• Tohru Murakami

  Gunma University

  7 shared

• Gianfranco Bellipanni

  Temple University

  6 shared

• Miguel L. Allende

  Millennium Science Initiative

  6 shared

• Alvin J. Chin

  University of Pennsylvania

  5 shared

• Máté Varga

  5 shared

• René Devos

  4 shared

Education

• MSc

  Rockefeller University

  2016

• MD

  University of Maryland Baltimore

  2009

• AB, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

  Princeton University

  2003