Montserrat Fraga

Dr. Montserrat Fraga


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

15Years (2012-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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25 October 2022 in Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
ACAlexander Coukos
Alexander Coukos
JVJulien Vionnet
Julien Vionnet
MOMichel Obeid
Michel Obeid
HBHasna Bouchaab
Hasna Bouchaab
SPSolange Peters
Solange Peters
MFMontserrat Fraga
Montserrat Fraga
Background Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have become a mainstay of cancer treatment. Their immune-boosting quality has one major drawback, their proclivity to induce a broad array of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) affecting, among others, the liver and sharing some similarities with classic autoimmune liver diseases (AILD).We aimed to compare clinical, laboratory and histological features of patients with liver-related irAEs and AILD. Methods We systematically compared liver irAEs with AILD, namely autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and primary biliary cholangitis, regarding their clinical, laboratory, and histological features. Results Twenty-seven patients with liver irAEs (ICI group) and 14 patients with AILD were identified. We observed three distinct ICI-induced histological liver injury patterns: hepatitic (52%), cholangitic (19%), and mixed (29%). When comparing the ICI and AILD groups, centrilobular injury as well as granuloma formation were more prevalent in the former (p=0.067 and 0.002, respectively). CD4+/CD8+ T cell ratios were heterogeneous between the two groups, without statistically significant difference but with a trend toward increased CD8+ T cells among hepatitic irAEs as compared with AIH. Pattern of liver function test alteration was predictive for the type of irAEs but did not correlate with histological severity. Conclusions Liver irAEs have broad clinical, laboratory and histological presentations. Histological features of irAEs and AILD are distinct, likely underpinning their different immunological mechanisms.

31 July 2025 in Cancers
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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MCMaria Conticchio
Maria Conticchio
EUEmilie Uldry
Emilie Uldry
Martin HubnerMartin Hubner
Martin Hubner
ADAntonia Digklia
Antonia Digklia
MFMontserrat Fraga
Montserrat Fraga
DFDavid Fuks
David Fuks
Background: Colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) represents a major clinical challenge in oncology, affecting 25–50% of colorectal cancer patients and significantly impacting survival. While multimodal therapies—including surgical resection, systemic chemotherapy, and local ablative techniques—have improved outcomes, prognosis remains heterogeneous due to variations in tumor biology, patient factors, and institutional practices. Methods: This review synthesizes current evidence on prognostic factors influencing CRLM management, encompassing clinical (e.g., tumor burden, anatomic distribution, timing of metastases), biological (e.g., CEA levels, inflammatory markers), and molecular (e.g., RAS/BRAF mutations, MSI status, HER2 alterations) determinants. Results: Key findings highlight the critical role of molecular profiling in guiding therapeutic decisions, with RAS/BRAF mutations predicting resistance to anti-EGFR therapies and MSI-H status indicating potential responsiveness to immunotherapy. Emerging tools like circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and radiomics offer promise for dynamic risk stratification and early recurrence detection, while the gut microbiome is increasingly recognized as a modulator of treatment response. Conclusions: Despite advancements, challenges persist in standardizing resectability criteria and integrating multidisciplinary approaches. Current guidelines (NCCN, ESMO, ASCO) emphasize personalized strategies but lack granularity in terms of incorporating novel biomarkers. This exhaustive review underscores the imperative for the development of a unified, biomarker-integrated framework to refine CRLM management and improve long-term outcomes.

24 May 2019 in BMC Gastroenterology
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
MFMontserrat Fraga
Montserrat Fraga
JGJérôme Gouttenoire
Jérôme Gouttenoire
RSRoland Sahli
Roland Sahli
HCHaithem Chtioui
Haithem Chtioui
CMCristina Marcu
Cristina Marcu
JVJulien Vionnet
Julien Vionnet
Chronic hepatitis E represents an emerging challenge in organ transplantation, as there are currently no established treatment options for patients who fail to clear hepatitis E virus (HEV) following reduction of immunosuppressive therapy and/or treatment with ribavirin. Sofosbuvir has shown antiviral activity against HEV in vitro but clinical utility in vivo is unknown. We describe a 57-year-old liver transplant recipient with decompensated graft cirrhosis due to chronic hepatitis E. Reduction of immunosuppressive treatment as well ribavirin alone for 4 months did not result in viral clearance. Add-on of sofosbuvir for 6 months was associated with HEV RNA becoming undetectable in plasma. However, sustained viral clearance could not be achieved. Sofosbuvir may have some antiviral activity against HEV when added to ribavirin. However, this did not suffice to yield sustained viral clearance. Our well-characterized observation emphasizes the need for new treatment options to cure chronic hepatitis E in the setting of organ transplantation.

20 February 2020 in Liver Transplantation
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Journal Article
Closed access
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EMEleni Moschouri
Eleni Moschouri
JVJulien Vionnet
Julien Vionnet
EGEmiliano Giostra
Emiliano Giostra
CDCécile Daccord
Cécile Daccord
RLRomain Lazor
Romain Lazor
MFMontserrat Fraga
Montserrat Fraga

8 December 2023 in Hepatology
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
ASAli Saadat
Ali Saadat
JGJérôme Gouttenoire
Jérôme Gouttenoire
PRPaolo Ripellino
Paolo Ripellino
DSDavid Semela
David Semela
SASoraya Amar
Soraya Amar
MFMontserrat Fraga
Montserrat Fraga
Background and Aims: The clinical spectrum of human infection by HEV ranges from asymptomatic to severe acute hepatitis. Furthermore, HEV can cause diverse neurological manifestations, especially Parsonage-Turner syndrome. Here, we used a large-scale human genomic approach to search for genetic determinants of severe clinical presentations of HEV infection. Approach and Results: We performed whole genome sequencing in 3 groups of study participants with PCR-proven acute HEV infection: (1) 24 patients with symptomatic acute hepatitis E; (2) 12 patients with HEV-associated Parsonage-Turner syndrome; and (3) 16 asymptomatic blood donors (controls). For variant calling and annotation, we used GATK4 best practices followed by Variant Effect Predictor (VEP) and Annovar. For variant classification, we implemented the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics/Association for Molecular Pathology Bayesian classification framework in R. Variants with a probability of pathogenicity >0.9 were considered damaging. We used all genes with at least 1 damaging variant as input for pathway enrichment analyses. We observed a significant enrichment of type I interferon response pathways in the symptomatic hepatitis group: 10 out of 24 patients carried a damaging variant in one of 9 genes encoding either intracellular viral sensors (IFIH1, DDX58, TLR3, POLR3B, POLR3C) or other molecules involved in type I interferon response [interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7), MYD88, OAS3, GAPDH]. We did not find any enriched pathway in the Parsonage-Turner syndrome group or in the controls. Conclusions: Our results highlight the essential role of type I interferon in preventing symptomatic acute hepatitis E.

27 April 2021 in PLOS ONE
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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JBJoana Vieira Barbosa
Joana Vieira Barbosa
RSRoland Sahli
Roland Sahli
VAVincent Aubert
Vincent Aubert
ACAziz Chaouch
Aziz Chaouch
DMDarius Moradpour
Darius Moradpour
MFMontserrat Fraga
Montserrat Fraga
Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major global health challenge with approximately 250–350 million chronically infected individuals. An improved understanding of the demographic features and outcomes of chronic HBV infection and hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection in low-endemic areas may improve prevention, early identification and management both at individual and community levels. Here, we retrospectively analyzed the demographic and clinical characteristics, treatment rates and outcomes of adult patients with chronic HBV infection with or without HDV coinfection examined at Lausanne University Hospital, Switzerland over a 10-year period. Methods: We analyzed the medical records of all adult patients with chronic HBV and HDV infection examined in our center between 2007 and 2016. Liver-related outcome was defined as the occurrence of cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, liver transplantation or liver-related death. Analyses were performed using logistic regression and results were reported as odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: Of 672 consecutive patients, 421 (62.6%) were male, median age was 36 years (interquartile range, 28–46 years), and 233 (34.7%) were of African origin. The prevalence of HDV coinfection was 7.1% and the proportion of anti-HDV-positive patients with detectable HDV RNA was 70.0%. In multivariate analysis, HDV coinfection was the strongest predictor for liver-related outcome (OR 6.06, 95% CI 2.93–12.54, p<0.001), followed by HBeAg positivity (OR 2.47, 95% CI 1.30–4.69, p = 0.006), age (OR per 10-year increase 2.03, 95% CI 1.63–2.52, p<0.001) and sex (OR for female 0.39, 95% CI 0.22–0.71, p = 0.002). The predictive accuracy of the multivariate model was high (receiver operator characteristic area under the curve 0.81). Conclusion: This retrospective study underscores the importance of migration in the epidemiology of chronic hepatitis B in low-endemic areas. HDV coinfection, HBeAg positivity and age predicted liver-related outcomes while female sex had a protective effect.