Alcoholic liver disease remains a highly prevalent and often lethal complication of alcohol abuse. The etiology of this condition remains unclear. Understanding the basis of alcoholic liver disease could improve the health of millions of Americans afflicted by this problem.

The overall objective of the Mount Sinai Alcoholic Liver Disease Research Center is to elucidate the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver injury and fibrosis due to oxidant stress. Supported by a P20 grant from the a National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism the Center promotes synergistic interactions among a diverse range of investigators with complementary interests and strengths.

The goals of the Center are to:

1) Elucidate the mechanistic underpinnings of alcoholic liver disease by studying the roles of oxidant stress, cell-cell interactions and a novel transcriptional regulator, KLF6, in mediating liver injury and fibrogenesis.

2) Define novel models of alcoholic liver injury, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and fibrosis through the use of zebrafish, engineered mammalian cell lines, and transgenic models of alcohol-induced liver injury in mice.

3) Forge new, synergistic interactions among investigators at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine to create novel approaches to understanding alcoholic liver injury and fibrosis.

4) Create new educational and training opportunities to study alcoholic liver injury and fibrosis by leveraging existing NIH-funded training programs, and by establishing annual symposia and regular seminars in topics related to alcoholic liver disease.

We invite you to learn more about our Center and encourage you to contact Scott Friedman, Director (Scott.Friedman@mssm.edu), Arthur Cederbaum (Arthur.Cederbaum@mssm.edu) and Natalia Nieto (Natalia.Nieto@mssm.edu) (Co-Directors) with questions about research projects, facilities, and funding opportunities.