How Wnt–beta‑catenin signals guide liver growth and metabolic zoning
Role of Wnt-Beta-catenin in liver development and metabolic zonation
This project is finding out how the Wnt–beta‑catenin signaling system helps the liver develop and organize different metabolic regions so future treatments for liver injury and metabolic liver disease can be improved.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11226914 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will use genetic mouse models to switch off key Wnt signaling components in developing liver cells and in supporting cells such as endothelial cells and macrophages, then observe effects on liver cell growth and maturation. They will examine how deleting receptors (Lrp5/6) or Wnt secretion factors (Wls) alone or together changes the patterning of metabolic zones in the liver. Molecular tools such as ATAC‑seq and other gene regulation assays will be used to map how Wnt signaling controls cell identity and function. The team will connect these basic findings to liver repair and metabolic organization with an eye toward implications for human liver disease.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with liver conditions (for example chronic liver injury, cirrhosis, or metabolic liver disease) or patients willing to provide liver tissue or clinical data for research could be relevant to related future studies.
Not a fit: Healthy individuals without liver disease or people seeking immediate clinical treatments are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this basic lab research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new targets to help damaged livers regenerate or to treat metabolic liver disorders.
How similar studies have performed: Prior animal studies have shown Wnt/beta‑catenin plays a key role in liver growth and zonation, but translating those findings into patient therapies remains early and experimental.
Where this research is happening
Pittsburgh, United States
- University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Monga, Satdarshan Singh — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Monga, Satdarshan Singh
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.