Pathology Presents: Stressing the Liver

Speaker

Nick Crispe, PhD
Professor
Department of Pathology
University of Washington

Faculty Sponsor

Eddie Fox, PhD

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Description

Why Attend?

Stressing the Liver

Liver inflammation is a complicated event in which an initiating cause, such as autoimmunity or a virus infection, causes cellular injury, and the injury itself may be amplified by innate immune responses to endogenous DAMPS (Damage-Associated Molecular Patterns).  While local and circulating myeloid cells are involved, the hepatocytes themselves appear to be central players in the innate immune response to injury.  Direct study of human liver disease is challenging, which has led to the development of diverse experimental models, including humanized mice and structured cell cultures on engineered, biocompatible substrates. One potential model for human liver disease is precision-cut viable liver tissue slices, but these slices themselves undergo a spontaneous innate immune response in culture which is likely DAMP-driven. Against this background, we are using precision-cut viable human liver slices to study innate immunity to exogenous signals.