Fat-tissue inflammation pathway linking obesity to fatty liver (NAFLD)
Official title: LIFR-alpha/JAK/STAT3-dependent Adipose Inflammation Contributes to Obesity-Associated NAFLD - Resubmissi
Funded at Ut Southwestern Medical Center · NIH-11290336 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at whether blocking a specific inflammation signal in fat tissue can help prevent or reduce fatty liver in people with obesity.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Ut Southwestern Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Dallas, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2022 |
| Project end | December 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $516,395 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK128166-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11290336 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with obesity and evidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) would be the most relevant group for future clinical work based on this research.
✕Less likely to help
People without obesity-related liver fat or whose liver disease is caused primarily by alcohol or viral hepatitis are unlikely to benefit from this line of work.
What this research studies
If you have obesity, this project follows how a molecule called LIF and its receptor trigger JAK/STAT3 signaling in fat that increases inflammation and fat breakdown and may promote fatty liver. The team uses high-fat diet mouse models, gives recombinant LIF, and then blocks the pathway with drugs or by silencing the LIF receptor to see how fat and liver respond. They measure fat mass, markers of inflammation, lipolysis, gene expression, and liver steatosis to connect changes in fat tissue to liver injury. Those results could point to treatments that target fat inflammation to protect the liver.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could point to new ways to lower liver fat and inflammation in people with obesity, reducing risk of NAFLD and its complications.
How similar studies have gone: Previous animal experiments showed that LIF increases adipose inflammation and that blocking JAK/STAT3 can reduce those effects, but translation to human NAFLD treatments remains largely untested.
Where this research is happening
-
Ut Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Infante, Rodney E — Ut Southwestern Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Infante, Rodney E
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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.