Professor Louise Thomas, Professor of Metabolic Imaging at the University of Westminster, recently participated in MOSAiC 2025, a prestigious multi-stakeholder and multi-speciality think tank meeting that took place this year at the Embassy of France in Washington DC. At the event Professor Thomas chaired a high-profile panel discussion and delivered a keynote presentation on ways to improve health and boost modern healthcare.
The event took place on 23-24 October and addressed a critical challenge in modern healthcare: how clinical research and patient care are often divided by individual organs rather than viewed as a whole.
Professor Thomas chaired a session titled Changing Paradigm: New Data and Remaining Gaps in Imaging Knowledge and delivered a keynote presentation on how multiorgan MRI can transform healthcare. Her talk showcased pioneering work from the University’s Research Centre for Optimal Health and one of its commercial partners (Perspectum) and focused specifically on advancing clinical trials for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (NASH/MASH), a progressive form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease that affects up to 30% of adults globally. She also demonstrated the need for cross-disciplinary dialogue across metabolic, hepatology, nephrology and cardiovascular research to further boost research.
People with metabolic diseases often experience problems across multiple organs, including the liver, kidneys and heart, yet current clinical care tends to address each issue separately. Now recognised as a metabolic condition that affects multiple organs, NASH/MASH is linked to cardiovascular complications, type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease and certain cancers, meaning clinical research and treatment development that looks at all the organs as a whole would be extremely valuable.
Reflecting on the event, Professor Thomas said: “It was an honour to join this academy of experts and to champion the role of MRI in driving innovation and collaboration across metabolic and multi-organ research. To truly monitor treatment and improve outcomes, we must embrace a broader vision - one that includes adipose tissue, muscle health and other key organs.”
The event directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 3: Good Health and Wellbeing and 17: Partnerships for the Goals. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Learn more about the Research Centre for Optimal Health at the University of Westminster.
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