The Hepatic Fibrosis Laboratory investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms of scar tissue formation in the liver. This leads to fibrosis and cirrhosis in adult liver diseases such as haemochromatosis and in children in diseases such as cystic fibrosis and biliary atresia. If left untreated chronic liver disease can lead to liver cancer.
CURRENT RESEARCH
- Development of microRNAs as anti-fibrotic agents to treat organ fibrosis
- Characterisation of anti-inflammatory molecules and signalling pathways to treat liver inflammation, fibrogenesis and cirrhosis.
- Non-invasive biomarkers of liver disease and fibrosis in haemochromatosis
- Elastographic assessment of liver stiffness (fibrosis) in children with CF liver disease
- Molecular and cellular basis of hepatic stellate cell activation in fibrogenesis associated with chronic liver disease
- Serum microRNAs to detect and monitor disease progression in liver disease sequelae including cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Staff
- Andrew Kassianos, Affiliate
- Brianna Pollock, Research Assistant
- Claire Gladman, Student
- Daniel Wallace, Affiliate
- Diem Hoang-Le, Research Assistant
- Glicia De Almeida, Research Officer
- Ian Tindall
- Louise Ramm, Research Assistant
- Michael Pearen, Research Officer
- Silvia Saggiomo, Research Officer
Internal Collaborations
- Professor Gregory Anderson
- Professor Lawrie Powell
- Dr Michelle Wykes
- Dr Louisa Gordon
- Dr David Reid
- Dr James Hudson
- Dr Simon Phipps
External Collaborations
National:
- Associate Professor Peter Lewindon, Queensland Children’s Hospital
- Professor Darrell Crawford, Greenslopes Hospital and University of Queensland
- Professor John Olynyk, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia
- A/Professor Janina Tirnitz-Parker, Curtain University, Western Australia
- Professor Gary Jeffrey, University of Western Australia and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
- Dr Martin Delatycki, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
- Dr Richard Skoien, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Brisbane
- Professor Nathan Subramaniam, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane
- A/Professor Sumaira Husnain, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane
International:
- Professor Paulo Arosio, University of Brescia, Italy
- Professor Christine McLaren & Professor Gordon McLaren, University of California (Irvine)
- Dr Daniel Leung, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
- Professor Carla Colombo, University of Milan, Italy
- Professor Edouard Bardou-Jacquet, University of Rennes, France
- A/Professor Dirk Schmidt-Arras, University of Kiel, Germany
- Dr Amanda Abou-Fadel, Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, The Bronx, New York
We gratefully acknowledge the support from the following agencies
- National Health and Medical Research Council
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)