Cholestatic Liver Disease: How Cholangiocytes Trigger Inflammation and Neutrophil Attack
Official title: Pathobiology of Cholestatic Liver Disease
Funded at Mayo Clinic Rochester · NIH-11447177 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are exploring how bile duct cells in PSC trigger inflammation and recruit immune cells, with the goal of identifying new treatment strategies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Mayo Clinic Rochester NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Rochester, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2026 |
| Project end | June 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $670,268 |
| NIH project number | 1R01DK145529-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11447177 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis or related biliary diseases who consent to research on liver tissue and participate in related modeling studies.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without PSC or without cholangiocyte-driven inflammatory features may not directly benefit from this research.
What this research studies
In this project, scientists at Mayo Clinic Rochester will study human liver tissue from PSC patients to map how cholangiocytes drive proinflammatory signaling and recruit neutrophils. They will examine pathways like STING, cGAS-STING signaling, NET formation, and the MIF-CD74 axis, and test whether blocking STING can reduce neutrophil infiltration and liver injury in mouse models. The work uses spatial analysis of human tissue, cellular experiments, and animal models to uncover mechanisms that sustain fibrosis and cholestasis. The ultimate aim is to guide development of therapies that interrupt harmful cholangiocyte-neutrophil communication in PSC.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could lead to new therapeutic targets to lessen inflammation and fibrosis in PSC, potentially slowing disease progression.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical studies and patient tissue analyses in PSC have identified neutrophil involvement and STING-related pathways as relevant to disease progression.
Where this research is happening
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Mayo Clinic Rochester
Rochester, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jalan-Sakrikar, Nidhi — Mayo Clinic Rochester
- Study coordinator: Jalan-Sakrikar, Nidhi
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.