Berfin D. Azizoglu, PhD

American Liver Foundation Liver Scholar Research Award
$225,000 over three years

University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

Restructuring of the hepatic lobule vasculature in acute chemical liver injury

Mentor: Sidney A. Barritt, MD, MSCR

Our liver naturally cleanses our body of most toxins. This comes at a cost: Medication, dietary supplements, even herbal remedies can be toxic and cause injury to the liver. The liver has mechanisms to recover; however, these mechanisms sometimes fail unpredictably, leaving liver transplant as the only cure. This trajectory is responsible for one in three drug withdrawals from the pharmaceutical market, impeding the use of developed medicines. If we can identify the factors that weigh in on successful recovery of the liver, we can better predict outcomes and provide better treatment for patients who suffer from liver injury. Our work aims to help accomplish this, by focusing on the role of blood vessels of the organ. Blood vessels supply nutrients and oxygen to the liver, and also are the ones to bring in toxins. Yet, the precise role of blood vessels in recovery of the liver from injury is largely unknown. Injury response in blood vessel cells has the potential to be course-shifting. To uncover such potential, we ask how blood vessels change in response to liver injury, and how those changes impact the course of recovery. By identifying the unexplored roles of blood vessels, our work aims to shed light on potential ways vascular response can be manipulated to alleviate liver injury. The knowledge from here will benefit the advancement of treatments for liver injury patients, with the long-term goal of minimizing acute liver failure and debilitating chronic complications.