Ex-vivo bioengineered liver cells to study NASH-related dysfunction
Official title: Ex-vivo bioengineered technology to unravel dysfunction due to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)
Funded at University of Arizona · NIH-11324204 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will use patient-derived stem cell–made liver cells in a lab setup to understand why NASH causes liver damage and how stiffness of the liver’s surroundings affects this process.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Arizona NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Tucson, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2023 |
| Project end | April 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $681,569 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK132873-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11324204 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults with NAFLD/NASH whose cells can be reprogrammed into iPSCs and differentiated into hepatocyte-like cells for research use.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without access to liver tissue samples or whose cells are not suitable for iPSC reprogramming may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project creates liver-like cells from patients with NASH and analyzes how the 3D environment and cell stress pathways influence fat metabolism in liver cells. By using a controlled, ex vivo system that mimics healthy and diseased liver stiffness, it aims to isolate factors driving disease progression. The goal is to identify key signals and potential targets for new therapies in a way that avoids the variability seen in animal or whole-body studies. This approach could accelerate discovery of biomarkers and help screen future drugs for NASH directly in human-relevant cells.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal actionable targets and biomarkers to guide future treatments for NASH and improve drug development speed.
How similar studies have gone: Similar iPSC-derived liver models have provided insight into liver disease mechanisms, supporting the plausibility of this approach.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Arizona
Tucson, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wertheim, Jason a — University of Arizona
- Study coordinator: Wertheim, Jason a
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Role of metabolic stress in NASH-related liver cancer
This grant explores how metabolic stress linked to NASH may drive liver cancer and looks for ways to interrupt that process to help patients.
-
TREM2: a helper in liver inflammation and scarring in NASH
A new approach studies how a liver immune receptor called TREM2 helps protect against liver inflammation and scarring in people with fatty liver disease that can progress to NASH.
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Genes behind fatty liver disease and NASH
This project looks at how specific genes change fatty liver disease and scarring to help guide better tests and treatments for people with NAFLD/NASH.
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How TREM2 on immune cells affects fatty liver disease (NASH)
This project looks at whether the immune protein TREM2 helps drive liver inflammation and scarring in people with NASH.
-
New small-molecule medicines that stabilize Axin to treat non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)
Trying new small-molecule drugs that stabilize Axin to lower liver fat and scarring for people with NASH.
-
How bile acids and sphingosine-1-phosphate affect fatty liver (NASH)
This project looks at how bile acids and a fat-signaling molecule called sphingosine-1-phosphate change liver cells in people with NASH to find new treatment leads.
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.