Hepatic Fibrosis

Group Leader       

Professor Grant Ramm

Summary

The Hepatic Fibrosis Laboratory investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms of scar tissue formation in the liver. This leads to fibrosis and cirrhosis in adult liver diseases, such as haemochromatosis and in children, in diseases such as cystic fibrosis and biliary atresia.

Conditions researched

• Cystic fibrosis liver scarring
• Biliary atresia
• Haemochromatosis

Current research

• Role of hepatic stellate cells in fibrogenesis associated with haemochromatosis
• Pathways of iron metabolism in hepatic stellate cells
• Expression of iron transporters in haemochromatosis
• Mechanisms of activation of hepatic stellate cells in biliary atresia

Staff

Group Leader: Associate Professor Grant Ramm

Research Officers: Amber Glanfield, Dr Richard Ruddell, Dr Tamara Pereira, Dr Anita Burgess

Research Assistants: Louise Ramm, Sven Arnold, Diem Hoang-Le, Mora Puertolas Lopez,

PhD students: Lynne Reid

Visiting Scientists: Dr Peter Lewindon, Dr Ross Shepherd, Dr Christine Lou

Funding

We gratefully acknowledge the support from the following agencies:

• National Health and Medical Research Council

Collaborators

Dr Peter Lewindon, Department of Gastoenterology, Royal Children's Hospital, Brisbane

Dr Darrell Crawford, Department of Gastroenterology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane

Dr Graeme Macdonald, Department of Medicine, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane

Professor Gregory Anderson, Iron Metabolism Laboratory, QIMR

Associate Professor Nathan Subramaniam, Membrane Transport Laboratory, QIMR

Associate Professor John Olynyk, Depat of Medicine, Fremantle Hospital, Fremantle

Professor Tom Tracy, Dept of Paediatric Surgery, Brown University, Rhode Island, USA

Professor Bruce Bacon, Department of Internal Medicine, St Louis University, St Louis, USA

Professor Paulo Arosio, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy

Professor Ross Shepherd, Washington University, St Louis, USA