Mengfei Liu, MD

Our laboratory focuses on understanding the causes of alcohol-associated liver disease, particularly alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH), a severe form of liver injury with a high risk of death and few effective treatment options. A defining feature of AH is overwhelming inflammation in the liver caused by the recruitment and activation of immune cells. Understanding how this inflammatory response is initiated and sustained is essential for developing better therapies.

Our research investigates how liver cells communicate with the immune system to regulate inflammation. We are particularly interested in liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs), specialized cells that line the liver's tiny blood vessels and are the first cells to encounter immune cells entering the liver from the bloodstream. Once thought to serve mainly as a structural barrier, LSECs are now recognized as active regulators of immune responses. Our previous work has shown that LSECs produce signals that attract immune cells into the liver during injury. Using advanced single-cell sequencing technologies, we are identifying additional ways that LSECs influence immune cell behavior, including how they regulate the activation, survival, and function of T cells.

By uncovering the molecular signals that drive harmful liver inflammation, our goal is to identify new therapeutic targets that can interrupt disease progression. Ultimately, we hope our work will improve our understanding of liver immunology and lead to more effective treatments for alcohol-associated hepatitis and other chronic inflammatory liver diseases.