Determining how CD4+ T cells regulate adult liver stem cells during regeneration

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The liver normally recovers after injury in most situations through the division of hepatocytes, but this is fundamentally impaired during chronic liver injury. During chronic liver injury, bile ducts in the liver react in response to liver damage. This process is important for liver regeneration as some cells of the bile ducts can become hepatocytes when the liver is severely injured. However, the factors that control this process remain unknown. Immune cells infiltrate the liver and are observed close to the bile cuts during chronic liver injury and my initial data suggest that these immune cells control can affect how the liver regenerate. In this project I will use multiple models of human liver disease to investigate what type of immune cells are involved and how they interact with bile ducts to control liver regeneration. This research will enable the design of new therapies to treat chronic liver diseases which is currently a major issue worldwide.