Creating a better liver model to understand how scar tissue affects liver health
Official title: A physiological and translational liver model to study the metabolism-modulating roles of extracellular matrix microstructures
Funded at University of Maryland Baltimore County · NIH-11159479 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work develops an advanced liver model to understand how changes in the liver's support structure contribute to metabolism problems, especially in liver scarring.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Maryland Baltimore County NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | August 10, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $333,124 |
| NIH project number | 5R35GM146779-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11159479 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This foundational research is relevant to patients with liver conditions, particularly those experiencing liver scarring or metabolic dysfunction, as it aims to uncover disease mechanisms.
✕Less likely to help
Patients seeking immediate new treatments or direct clinical trial participation would not directly benefit from this early-stage model development.
What this research studies
We are creating a new and improved model of the human liver that includes all the important cell types and the natural 3D structure found in a real liver. This model will help us understand how the changes in the liver's support framework, known as the extracellular matrix (ECM), affect how the liver processes nutrients and energy. By making this model more like a real liver, we hope to learn why existing models haven't fully captured liver functions and how liver scarring impacts its ability to work properly.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to a deeper understanding of liver fibrosis and identify new targets for developing treatments for liver diseases.
How similar studies have gone: This project builds on previous successes in tissue modeling and discoveries about cell-ECM interactions, while also introducing innovative technology for liver modeling.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Maryland Baltimore County
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chen, Chengpeng — University of Maryland Baltimore County
- Study coordinator: Chen, Chengpeng
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.