Targeting a liver enzyme (NNMT) to treat alcohol-related liver damage
Hepatic Nicotinamide N-Methyltransferase (NNMT) as a Pathogenetic Mechanism and Therapeutic Target for Alcoholic Liver Disease
Seeing if blocking a liver enzyme called NNMT can prevent or reduce alcohol-related liver damage for people with alcoholic liver disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Illinois at Chicago NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11098669 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers are studying how a liver enzyme called NNMT changes key cellular nutrients (like NAD+ and SAM) and contributes to fatty liver and inflammation from chronic alcohol use. In lab models and mice they lower NNMT using genetic tools and examine effects on mitochondrial stress responses, PPAR-gamma activity, and liver fat accumulation, and they are probing how alcohol-driven signals (like ATF4) raise NNMT. The team will use these mechanistic findings to determine whether NNMT inhibition could be a promising pathway for therapy. Results would guide whether drug development or future human trials targeting NNMT are warranted.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with alcohol-related fatty liver or early alcoholic steatohepatitis would be the most likely future candidates for therapies coming from this work.
Not a fit: People with advanced cirrhosis or end-stage liver failure are unlikely to benefit from early-stage metabolic interventions targeting NNMT.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new treatments that prevent or reverse early alcohol-related liver damage and reduce progression to cirrhosis.
How similar studies have performed: Early animal studies, including the investigators' own mouse experiments using NNMT knockdown, showed protective effects, but NNMT-targeting treatments remain largely untested in people.
Where this research is happening
Chicago, UNITED STATES
- University of Illinois at Chicago — Chicago, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Song, Zhenyuan — University of Illinois at Chicago
- Study coordinator: Song, Zhenyuan
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.