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Contact Joan Gallagher, Senior Program Coordinator, for more information about the ALF & AASLD Research Awards Program.

(212) 668-1000 ext. 224

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2008 Resident Scholar Travel Award Applications

The application cycle for the 2008 Resident Scholar Travel Awards is closed. ALF is no longer accepting applications.

Learn about the travel awards

2008 ALF Research Award Winners

Dr. Xinqin Kang, PhD

Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 and lipid export in alcoholic liver disease. University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky. "Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4 and Lipid Export in Alcoholic Liver Disease."

Alcoholic liver disease is a major health problem affecting many people in the United States. It causes fat droplets to build up inside liver cells, a condition known as alcoholic fatty liver. As fat accumulates, the risk of liver inflammation and scarring increases. Dr. Kang’s study aims to describe on a molecular level how alcohol exposure leads to fat accumulation in the liver. A better understanding of the connection may point the way to new and more effective therapies for fatty liver.

The study will focus on the role of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 (HNF4), a molecule that, under normal conditions, can be found inside liver cells in significant amounts. Recent studies have shown that HNF4 plays an active role in controlling how much fat is exported out of the liver cell. Dr Kang’s preliminary research shows that exposure to alcohol decreases the activity of HNF4 and increases the amount of fat stored inside the cell. He hypothesizes that alcohol consumption decreases HNF4 activity by depleting the liver of zinc. Zinc is a part of the HNF4 molecule, and liver cells need zinc in order to produce HNF4. People with alcoholic liver disease, however, are known to have low levels of zinc in the liver. Indeed, Dr. Kang has found that zinc treatments can limit the amount of fat that builds up in liver cells as a result of alcoholic liver disease.

The primary goal of this study is to determine the significance of low HNF4 activity in the development of fatty liver. The secondary goal is to evaluate the possibility of treating alcoholic fatty liver by restoring normal HNF4 levels.

Page updated: August 14th, 2008