How bile acids and sphingosine-1-phosphate affect fatty liver (NASH)
Official title: Bile Acids and Sphingosine 1-Phosphate in Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH)
Funded at VA Veterans Administration Hospital · NIH-11212757 · Data updated 2026-11-12
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.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | VA Veterans Administration Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Richmond, United States) |
| Project start | October 1, 2022 |
| Project end | September 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01BX005730-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11212757 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease or biopsy-proven NASH, especially veterans receiving care at the Richmond VA, would be the most likely candidates to participate or provide samples.
✕Less likely to help
People without fatty liver disease, those whose liver disease is primarily alcohol-related, or patients with advanced liver cancer are unlikely to benefit directly from this mechanistic work in the near term.
What this research studies
From a patient's point of view, researchers are tracing how normal and altered bile acids send signals in the liver that can drive inflammation and scarring in NASH. They will use patient-derived samples (blood and liver tissue) alongside laboratory models to follow signaling pathways such as S1PR2, AKT, and ERK1/2. The team aims to identify specific molecular steps that could be targeted by drugs to reduce liver injury and fibrosis. Results will guide future therapies designed to slow or reverse disease progression.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new drug targets that slow or reverse NASH and reduce progression to cirrhosis or liver cancer.
How similar studies have gone: Prior laboratory studies support roles for bile acid and S1P signaling in liver metabolism and injury, but translating these pathways into effective clinical treatments remains largely unproven.
Where this research is happening
-
VA Veterans Administration Hospital
Richmond, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zhou, Huiping Rose — VA Veterans Administration Hospital
- Study coordinator: Zhou, Huiping Rose
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.
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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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Ex-vivo bioengineered liver cells to study NASH-related dysfunction
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.
-
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.
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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.
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.