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.
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!
Maria Duarte, MD
Peripheral Blood DNA Methylation Signatures Predicting Fibrosis Risk Among People with HIV and MASLD
Alessandra Ferrari, PhD
Dietary Control of Cholesterol Homeostasis Through Lipid Membrane Remodeling
Hirotake Komatsu, MD, PhD
Addressing Diffusion Barriers in Large Liver Organoids
Featured Publications
Yang MG, ... Maher JJ, ... Willenbring H, Goodarzi H, Ramani V. Pervasive and programmed nucleosome distortion on single chromatin fibres. Nature. 2026 Apr 29 Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42056506; PMCID pending.
Jespersen JM, Avanesyan L, ... Anderson M, ... Sarkar M, Nishimura SL, ... Cooper SL, Baron JL. Clinical cure of chronic hepatitis B is associated with priming and perpetuation of hepatic CD4+ T cell responses. Sci Transl Med. 2026 Apr 29;18(847):eadx1523. PMID: 42054492; PMCID pending.
Klepper A, ... Duarte M, Khalili M, ... Price J, Perito E, Feng S, Maher JJ, Wilson MR, Lai JC, Weiler-Normann C, Lohse AW, DeRisi J, Tana MM. Immune profiling links autoimmune hepatitis to human herpesvirus 6 and relaxin receptor antigens. J Exp Med. 2026 Apr 6;223(4):e20250959. PMID: 41774077; PMCID: PMC12955711.
Montoya T, Lee JV, Qiu L, Krall A, Matulionis N, Seo Y, Finck BN, Kelley RK, Christofk H, Goga A. Alanine catabolism as a targetable vulnerability for MYC-driven liver cancer. Cell Rep. 2026 Mar 17;45(4):117107. PMID: 41849351; PMCID pending.
Sbierski-Kind J, ... Nilsson J, ... Mattis AN, Peng T, Locksley RM, Molofsky AB. Type 2 lymphocytes restrict type 3 lymphocytes during liver fibrosis and colocalize in fibroblast niches. Sci Adv. 2026 Mar 13;12(11):eaea6805. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aea6805. Epub 2026 Mar 11. PMID: 41811951; PMCID: PMC12978224.
For a complete list of liver-related member publications updated monthly, click here