How TREM2 on immune cells affects fatty liver disease (NASH)
Official title: Deciphering the role of TREM2 in Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis
Funded at Ut Southwestern Medical Center · NIH-11261177 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether the immune protein TREM2 helps drive liver inflammation and scarring in people with NASH.
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 | April 1, 2023 |
| Project end | January 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $360,800 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK133283-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11261177 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People diagnosed with NASH or advanced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, especially those with obesity and signs of liver inflammation or fibrosis, would be most relevant.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals whose liver disease is primarily caused by alcohol, viral hepatitis, or other non-NASH conditions may not benefit from findings focused on obesity-driven NASH.
What this research studies
If I have NASH, this work focuses on a protein on certain liver immune cells called TREM2 that shows up more in people with NASH and cirrhosis. The team made mice missing TREM2 in myeloid cells and fed them a Western-style high-fat diet to model obesity-driven NASH and compare outcomes with normal mice. They combine that with single-cell gene profiling and analyses of human liver samples to connect mouse results back to people with the disease. The overall aim is to learn whether TREM2-expressing macrophages promote chronic inflammation and fibrosis and whether targeting them could change disease course.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify new ways to reduce liver inflammation and scarring in NASH and point to treatments that slow or prevent progression.
How similar studies have gone: Previous single-cell studies have repeatedly found TREM2-positive macrophages in human NASH, but directly targeting TREM2 to alter disease is a newer and still largely untested approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Ut Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Liang, Shuang — Ut Southwestern Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Liang, Shuang
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.
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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.
-
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.