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​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

Lai M, Verna EC, Kato T, McCulloch CE, Feng S, Lai JC, Ge J, Cullaro G. Trends and recipient outcomes in multiorgan transplantation in the United States 2013-2023. Am J Transplant. 2025 Sep 10. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 40939821; PubMed Central PMCID: pending. 

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. PubMed PMID: 40864684; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12474517. 

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.  PubMed PMID: 40490140; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12274751.

Korotkevich E, Conrad DN, Gartner ZJ, O'Farrell PH. Selfish mutations promote age-associated erosion of mtDNA integrity in mammals. Nat Commun. 2025 Jul 1;16(1):5435. PubMed PMID: 40595506; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12216451. 

For a complete list of liver-related member publications updated monthly, click here