Hepatic fibrosis

The liver has over 300 functions including clearing toxins from the blood, assisting blood clotting, producing enzymes for digestion and making albumin. The liver is very efficient at repairing itself but if it is under continuous attack by toxins such as alcohol, or infection such as hepatitis, it can become so scarred that it is no longer able to function. This scarring is called fibrosis.

 

Our research focuses on:

  • Investigating how the immune system has a role in formation of scar tissue.
  • Identifying the way that hepatic stellate cells  (liver immune cells) function within the liver.

 

Research group involved in hepatic fibrosis research: