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Current projects

In this section, on-going projects are briefly summarized. They are based on cooperations from the VirtualLiver Network. Partly, they are not finished and should be continued on the condition of further funding.

Investigations on mouse hepatocyte cultures

Treating primary mouse hepatocytes with cytokines or other stimuli to elucidate the reaction in liver regeneration, inflammation, and intoxication.
  • HGF and IL-6, cytokines important in liver regeneration, see this section
  • TGFβ, a cytokine with a functional role in liver regeneration, is also a critical factor in alcoholic liver cirrhosis and other live diseases, see this section.

Investigations on human hepatocyte cultures

  • Statins, pharmaceuticals to the reduction of serum cholesterol levels. [poster, Talk]
  • Mechanisms of the hepatocyte's resonse to intoxication, agonists of PXR CAR and PPARα transcription factors. [poster, Talk]

Investigation of mouse livers

  • Cholestatic disease elucidated from time resolved cellular and molecular responses in livers of bile duct ligated mice. [poster].

Investigation of human liver biopsies

  • Transcriptional footprint of Obesity, Steatosis and Steatohepatititis on hepatocytes. Analysis of transriptome data from human liver biopsies. The patients suffer Steratosis and Steatohepatitis, other are morbidly obese, some have a healthy liver. The analysis pinpoints previosuly unidentified molecular events. [Talk]