University of Louisville awarded $11.5 million to study liver diseases

Researchers at the University of Louisville received a federal grant of more than $11.5 million to study liver cancer, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, alcoholic liver disease and environmental toxicology and liver disease, and with future research focusing on infectious and viral liver disease and drug-induced liver injury, according to a press release.

“McClain and his team are among not only that nation’s leaders, but the world’s leaders when it comes to researching liver diseases,” Gregory C. Postel, MD, interim executive president for health affairs, University of Louisville, said in a press release announcing the funding. “Receipt of this grant demonstrates the breadth of the program … and the importance of that work in our understanding the liver function, liver disease and how to combat it.”

“This effort will help ensure a pipeline of new investigators into liver biology and disease, as well as stimulate research into the field,” Craig McClain, MD, associate vice president of health affairs/research at the university, said in the release. “We will build upon the broad body of knowledge already existing, take that information into novel areas to create new methods for the prevention and treatment of liver disease.”

Funding for the 5-year grant comes from the National Institute of Health Centers for Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) program. According to NIH’s website, funding enables thematic centers with multiple areas of study to strengthen their biomedical research capacity. Usually this involves adding complementing faculty and improving infrastructure. Each COBRE has an investigator —McClain, for this funding — with a strong background in the field the grant supports.

Disclosures: Healio.com/Hepatology was unable to determine relevant financial disclosures at time of publication.