Research Focus
Liver disease in Australia is one of the top 10 leading causes of years of life lost.1 In Queensland, cirrhosis has a disproportionate impact on Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples,3 with liver diseases leading to cirrhosis among the top contributors to the mortality gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian adults.4 There are significant productivity impacts and health-care costs in managing advanced liver disease,9 with substantial impact on patients’ daily living activities and health-related quality of life.10 However, knowledge and awareness of liver disease in primary care and the community remain low, and most patients present late with cirrhosis and related complications, at which time there is substantial morbidity and mortality. Our goal is to harness existing areas of collaborative research strength in inflammation, fibrosis, histopathology, public health, clinical hepatology and health economics to generate new translational outcomes, for clinical and commercial impact.
Research Projects
Current Research Projects
To identify and validate new therapeutic targets for treating fatty liver diseases, by examining the molecular and cellular mechanisms of liver inflammation, fibrosis and repair
To develop and validate novel biomarkers to identify people at risk of advanced liver disease
To develop resources and establish guidance to support consumers and general practitioners in the evaluation and management of fatty liver diseases, with the support from partner organisations.
Research Team
Publications
POWELL EE*, Wong VW, Rinella M. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Lancet. 2021;397:2212-2224 PMID: 33894145. (*corresponding author) - Invited to write a Seminar for The Lancet on MASLD; authoritative, clinical overview
Gadd VL, Skoien R, POWELL EE, Fagan KJ, Winterford C, Horsfall L, Irvine K, Clouston AD. The portal inflammatory infiltrate and ductular reaction in human nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Hepatology. 2014;59:1393-405 PMID: 24254368 - Key paper about complex cellular composition of portal inflammatory infiltrate and progenitor cell/ductular niche in MAFLD; shaped further studies about role of inflammation to disease pathogenesis
Irvine KM, Ratnasekera I, POWELL EE, Hume DA. Causes and Consequences of Innate Immune Dysfunction in Cirrhosis. Front Immunol. 2019;10:293 PMID: 30873165 - Review of mechanisms of impaired innate immune function in cirrhosis, role in susceptibility to infection and therapeutic approaches to reduce related mortality