2018 International Grant winner

For the call for project 2018, the scientific committee has chosen to focus on the liver. The liver is a major organ at the interface between the gut and the whole human body. Beyond the gut itself, the liver is the first gate for the entry of microbiota derived products in the circulation, reaching then all other organs with potential beneficial or detrimental effects.

All types of liver related disease research can be proposed such as cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, viral hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease notably.

Alcoholic liver disease is a major medical burden in industrialized countries, and alcoholic hepatitis has a high mortality despite optimal medical management.

Gut-derived bacteria are necessary for progression of alcoholic hepatitis, but how changes in the intestinal microbiome contribute to alcoholic hepatitis is poorly understood.

We will use a precision medicine approach targeting specific bacteria in the gut microbiota to improve disease in a humanized mouse model of alcoholic hepatitis. Eventually this approach will lead to new therapeutics for patients with alcoholic hepatitis.