Discrimination
Multiple cohorts and meta-analyses report that serum MMP-7 can help distinguish biliary atresia from other causes of infant cholestasis.
Biomarker overview
MMP-7: evidence, context, and limitations
Serum matrix metalloproteinase-7 is an evolving biomarker that may support the evaluation of infants with suspected biliary atresia.
The essentials
What is MMP-7?
MMP-7 is a protein expressed by epithelial cells, including cells lining the bile ducts. Research has found that serum MMP-7 concentrations are often higher in infants with biliary atresia than in infants with other causes of cholestasis.
This difference has led investigators to evaluate MMP-7 as a noninvasive biomarker that can contribute useful information during a time-sensitive diagnostic workup.
Use the result in context
MMP-7 measurement does not independently establish or exclude biliary atresia. Results must be interpreted alongside the infant’s age, clinical presentation, bilirubin and liver tests, imaging, histology when performed, and the specialist team’s complete evaluation.
What the evidence supports
A promising adjunct—not a stand-alone diagnosis
Assay dependence
Reported values and decision thresholds vary by assay platform, calibration, population, age, and laboratory procedures.
Clinical integration
The result is most useful when integrated with other evidence and interpreted by clinicians familiar with neonatal cholestasis.
Questions the result may help address
- Does the biomarker pattern increase or decrease concern for biliary atresia?
- Should the infant’s specialist evaluation move forward urgently?
- How does the measurement fit with bilirubin, imaging, and clinical findings?
Questions it cannot answer alone
- Whether an infant definitively has or does not have biliary atresia
- Which treatment is appropriate for an individual child
- How a child will respond to surgery or what the long-term outcome will be
- Whether results from different assay methods are directly interchangeable
Measurement matters
One biomarker, different analytical approaches
MMP-7 can be measured using more than one laboratory technology. Each laboratory must understand the specific method it uses and establish appropriate performance characteristics.
Explore TR-FRETAbout reference intervals and cutoffs
Dx4Liver does not provide a universal clinical cutoff. Laboratories and clinical programs should rely on the performance of their validated method and appropriate patient population.
Read the original research
Our curated library includes current multicenter studies, validation cohorts, systematic reviews, foundational studies, and clinical guidance.
Browse MMP-7 publications