Lecture, Research

Dean’s Seminar Series featuring Helen H. Hobbs, MD – “Nature, Nurture and Fatty Liver Disease”

Name: Dean’s Seminar Series featuring Helen H. Hobbs, MD – “Nature, Nurture and Fatty Liver Disease”
Start: 2021-01-28T16:00:00-05:00
End: 2021-01-28T17:00:00-05:00
Location: Virtual

***CME/CE Credit is being offered for this Seminar***

Speaker:

Helen H. Hobbs, MD
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Title:

Nature, Nurture and Fatty Liver Disease

Abstract:

Fatty liver disease (FLD) is a burgeoning health problem that affects one-third of adults and an increasing number of children in the United States. The hallmark of FLD is the accumulation of triglyceride in cytoplasmic lipid droplets of hepatocytes (steatosis). In a subset of individuals, steatosis elicits an inflammatory response (steatohepatitis), which can progress to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Incomplete understanding of the pathogenesis of FLD has limited the development of therapies to arrest progression of the disorder. Our lab has used a variety of genetic approaches to identify genetic differences contributing to the development of FLD. The pathogenic mechanisms contributing to the genetic susceptibility factors we have identified and the implications of our findings for the prevention and treatment of FLD will be discussed.