Welcome to the UCSF Liver Center
The Liver Center is a consortium of more than 60 researchers who share a common interest in liver biology and disease. The goal of the Center is to integrate bench science with clinical investigation, in support of its vision to understand and cure human liver diseases.
The physicians and scientists of the Liver Center are committed to improving understanding of liver biology and alleviating suffering from liver diseases. Read More.
Holger Willenbring, MD, PhD
Program Director, Liver Center
Holger Willenbring named as new Center Director
The Liver Center is proud to announce that Dr. Holger Willenbring, Professor of Surgery in the Division of Transplant Surgery, has been appointed as its new Program Director. His appointment was approved by officials at NIDDK on September 16, 2024. Dr. Willenbring succeeds Dr. Jacquelyn Maher, who stepped down as Director after completing a 16-year term from 2008-2024.
Dr. Willenbring is well known to the Liver Center, having served as its Associate Director since 2012. In addition, Dr. Willenbring oversees the Liver Center's Enrichment Program, which he will continue to do through the current fund year. Dr. Willenbring previously provided oversight to the Liver Center Pilot & Feasibility Program, but with his new responsibilities as Director he will delegate that role to Dr. Maher for the 2025 funding cycle.
With this leaderhsip transition, Dr. Jennifer Lai will also assume a new role as Associate Director of the Center. Please join us in congratulating Drs. Willenbring and Lai as they lead the Center to new heights of excellence!
Congratulations to the 2025 Pilot & Feasibility Grant Awardees!
Chris Hsiung, MD, PhD
CRISPR screens to discover pro-fibrogenic enhancers in hepatic stellate cells
Jillian Jespersen, PhD
Mechanisms of failed hepatic immune memory during chronic hepatitis B
Marisa Medina, PhD
Use of partitioned polygenic risk in iPSC-hepatocytes to study MASLD progression & treatment
Featured Publications
Rademaker G, Hernandez GA, Seo Y, Dahal S, Miller-Phillips L, Li AL, Peng XL, Luan C, Qiu L, Liegeois MA, Wang B, Wen KW, Kim GE, Collisson EA, Kruger SF, Boeck S, Ormanns S, Guenther M, Heinemann V, Haas M, Looney MR, Yeh JJ, Zoncu R, Perera RM. PCSK9 drives sterol-dependent metastatic organ choice in pancreatic cancer. Nature. 2025 May 21. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40399683, PMCID pending.
Chang M, Zhao M, Whang EM, Lee RA, Scott DK, Wang JC. The sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 2 S1PR2 mediates chronic glucocorticoid exposure-induced hepatic steatosis and hypertriglyceridemia. J Biol Chem. 2025 Jul;301(7):110353. Epub 2025 Jun 7. PMID: 40490140; PMCID: PMC12274751.
Calthorpe L, Rubin J, Lee C, Roll G, Feng S, Lai JC. The cirrhosis-hospital frailty risk score predicts mortality in patients with chronic liver disease: Analysis of a nationally representative database. Liver Transpl. 2025 Jul 18. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40674284; PMCID pending.
Wadhwani SI, Squires JE, Hsu E, Gupta N, Campbell K, Zielsdorf S, Vittorio J, Desai DM, Ebel NH, Shui AM, Bucuvalas JC, Gottlieb LM, Lyles CR, Lai JC; Society of Pediatric Liver Transplantation. Material economic hardships are associated with adverse 1-year outcomes after pediatric liver transplantation: Prospective cohort results from the multicenter SOCIAL-Tx Study. Liver Transpl. 2025 Aug 1;31(8):1042-1052. Epub 2024 Dec 16. PMID: 39692470; PMCID: PMC12167753.
Sharma S, Prathigudupu V, Cable C, Serrano LR, Nerella S, Chen A, Hassan G, Lakins J, Valenzuela CL, Tsukui T, Ramamoorthi R, Kim JJ, Willenbring H, Mattis AN, Volk RF, Zaro BW, Coon JJ, Beresis R, DeGrado WF, Weaver VM, Christenson SA, Jo H, Chen JY. Resolving fibrosis by stimulating HSC-dependent extracellular matrix degradation. Sci Transl Med. 2025 Aug 27;17(813):eads9470. Epub 2025 Aug 27. PMID: 40864684; PMCID pending.
For a complete list of liver-related member publications updated monthly, click here
