Them1 Inhibitors to Help Treat Fatty Liver Disease
Official title: Them1 Inhibitors for the Management of Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Funded at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center · NIH-11519341 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Aims to develop and test small molecule drugs that block Them1 to help people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cedars-Sinai Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2023 |
| Project end | April 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $510,636 |
| NIH project number | 7R01DK133988-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11519341 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are individuals with NAFLD or fatty liver disease who could participate in future preclinical-to-clinical transition studies and related safety studies.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without NAFLD or those not eligible for preclinical-to-clinical translation may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
Troves of lab work are being used to optimize drug-like Them1 inhibitors and test them in cell systems and in mice to see if they reduce liver fat, lower glucose production, and curb inflammation. The project builds on a high-throughput screen that found promising compounds and now focuses on safety, specificity, and effectiveness in preclinical models. If successful, this could lead to a new pharmacotherapy that enhances energy use in fat tissue and improves liver health. This work is conducted at Cedars-Sinai with the goal of translating findings toward human NAFLD treatment.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients with NAFLD could gain a new medication that reduces liver fat and inflammation and improves metabolic health.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research supports targeting fatty acid metabolism in NAFLD, but this exact Them1 inhibitor approach is still early-stage preclinical.
Where this research is happening
-
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cohen, David E. — Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Cohen, David E.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Role of fat droplets in liver fat and inflammatory signals in NAFLD
A study at Johns Hopkins will explore how fat droplets in the liver influence molecules that drive inflammation and progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in adults.
-
How the TET1 gene affects non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Researchers are looking at whether changes in the TET1 gene and DNA 'tagging' (methylation) play a role in adult non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
-
Hepatocellular Genetic Clues for Fatty Liver in Hispanic Adults
A large NIH grant helps researchers study why fatty liver develops in Hispanic adults and how genetics interact with lifestyle to affect risk.
-
Toxic fats, vitamin B12 loss, and AHR may drive fatty liver disease
This grant looks at how certain environmental chemicals may trigger liver damage linked to fatty liver disease and how a vitamin found in the blood could be affected.
-
Glutamine and T cells in fatty liver disease
A study explores how liver glutamine levels affect inflammatory CD4+ T cells in fatty liver disease to find potential new ways to reduce liver inflammation.
-
PNPLA3 gene and fatty liver disease risk and protection
A doctor-scientist team is studying why some people develop fatty liver disease and others don’t, focusing on a gene variant called PNPLA3 and how it affects people of different ancestries.
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.