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

在大多数情况下，肝脏在损伤后通过肝细胞的分裂而恢复，但在慢性肝损伤期间，这一点从根本上受到了损害。在慢性肝损伤期间，肝脏中的胆管对肝损伤做出反应。这一过程对肝脏再生非常重要，因为当肝脏受到严重损伤时，胆管中的一些细胞可以变成肝细胞。然而，控制这一过程的因素仍然未知。在慢性肝损伤期间，免疫细胞渗入肝脏，并在胆汁切开附近观察到，我的初步数据表明，这些免疫细胞控制可以影响肝脏再生的方式。在这个项目中，我将使用多种人类肝病模型来研究参与其中的免疫细胞类型，以及它们如何与胆管相互作用来控制肝脏再生。这项研究将使设计新的治疗方法来治疗慢性肝病，这是目前世界范围内的一个主要问题。

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.