How liver scar‑forming cells remember past injury
Hepatic stellate cell plasticity and maladaptive fibrogenic memory in chronic liver disease
The team is looking at how scar‑forming cells in the liver change after repeated injury to help people with chronic liver disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11290373 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
They use a new mouse model where liver scar‑forming cells (hepatic stellate cells) are injured, allowed to recover, and then re‑injured so researchers can watch long‑term changes. The lab profiles individual cells' gene activity and chromatin using single‑cell methods and low‑input chromatin assays (including ATAC‑seq) to read DNA methylation and other epigenetic marks. By comparing cells before and after fibrosis regression, they aim to identify the molecular “memory” that makes these cells overreact to repeat injury. Those molecular clues could point to ways to reset or block the maladaptive response.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with chronic liver disease or liver fibrosis (and people able to donate liver tissue or samples) would be most relevant to this research.
Not a fit: People without chronic liver disease or with conditions unrelated to liver fibrosis are unlikely to benefit directly from this basic lab research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could point to new ways to prevent or reverse liver scarring and slow or stop progression of chronic liver disease.
How similar studies have performed: Prior laboratory studies, including the team's published work, support an epigenetic role in cell memory, but turning these findings into treatments for people remains unproven.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wang, Shuang — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Wang, Shuang
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 below.