Sandra K. Erickson, PhD
Research Interests
My group studies the regulation of lipid metabolism with emphasis on the role of the liver. Current work is focused on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The development of NAFLD and its progression to chronic disease is poorly understood. Based on evidence to date, genetic predisposition and environmental factors such as diet are both important. The goal of our research is to identify genes involved in development and progression of NAFLD. We are studying the genetics of NAFLD in a diet-induced mouse model that mimics the spectrum of NAFLD in human beings. We have discovered strain differences in the development of liver disease in response to a high-sugar, high-fat diet; this is enabling us to utilize classic genetic methods including quantitative trait locus analysis to identify chromosomal regions harboring genes associated with development and progression of NAFLD.
Selected Publications
- Dubrac S, Lear SR, Ananthanarayan M, Balasubramaniyan N, Bollineni J, Shefer S, Hyogo H, Cohen DE, Blanche PJ, Krauss RM, Batta AK, Salen G, Suchy FJ, Maeda N, Erickson SK. Role of CYP27A in cholesterol and bile acid metabolism. J Lipid Res 2005; 46:76-85.
- Lee SJ, Heinrich G, Fedorova L, Al-Share QY, Ledford KF, Fernstrom MA, McInerney, MF, Erickson SK, Gatto-Weis C, Najjar SM. Development of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in insulin-resistant, liver-specific S503A carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule mutant mice. Gastroenterology 2008; 135:2084-95.
- Erickson SK. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). J Lipid Res 2009; 50::Suppl: S412-16.
- Professor
- Medicine/Endocrinology and Metabolism
Research Theme
- Hepatic Physiology and Metabolism
Contact Information
- Sandra.kerickson@
ucsf.edu - Phone: (415) 750-2005
- Phone: (415) 221-4810 x 2380
- Fax: (415) 750-6927
- VA Medical Center
- 4150 Clement Street
- Box 111F , Bldg 2 Rm 490
- San Francisco, CA. 94121