Inflammasome activation during cholestatic liver injury: A trigger of fibrosis progression ((2)-P31*)

• Subject Area: Rheumatology
• Term: from 2017 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 36842431

We hypothesize that toxic bile acids or cholestasis trigger NLRP3 inflammasome activation, thereby driving cholestatic liver fibrosis. In collaboration with the other inflammasome-focused projects, we plan to identify cell-specific inflammasome components involved in immune-mediated liver injury and study their interaction with hepatic stellate cells. We will analyze bile acid alterations, test the validity of inflammasome components as biomarkers in patients with cholestatic liver disease and apply novel inflammasome inhibitors to stop disease progression.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios
• Subproject of: TRR 57: Organ Fibrosis: From Mechanisms of Injury to Modulation of Disease
• Applicant Institution: Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Christian Trautwein; Professor Dr. Alexander Wree