The human liver is the body’s largest internal organ. It primarily filters toxins from blood at a rate of roughly 22 gallons per hour, but also performs more than 500 other vital functions, including producing bile to aid digestion and making proteins for blood plasma.
More than 100 million Americans suffer from undiagnosed fatty liver disease, a condition called metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) in which there is an overabundance of fat in the liver.
Previously called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, MASLD is not related to alcohol use. Its cause is not known, but it is more common in persons with type 2 diabetes, who have obesity, are middle-aged or older, who have high blood pressure or belong to certain demographic groups, including Hispanic and non-Hispanic whites.
Left undiagnosed or untreated, MASLD often leads to an escalation of more severe forms, from metabolic dysfunction–associated steatohepatitis or MASH, an inflammatory, liver-scarring disease that affects 1.5% to 6.5% of U.S. adults, to life-threatening cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma or liver cancer.
Treatments are limited. There are no approved pharmacological therapies for advanced cases. The last resort is a liver transplant.
Liver Disease
Research at Sanford Burnham Prebys
Experts Available
David A. Brenner MD
Zhouji Chen PhD
Debanjan Dhar PhD
Duc Dong PhD
Randal J. Kaufman PhD
Media Contacts
Greg Calhoun
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gcalhoun@sbpdiscovery.org
Scott LaFee
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slafee@spbdiscovery.org