Grant: CIHR New Investigator

Fatty liver disease affects one third of the population of North America. The disease has few symptoms, but over time leads to irreversible damage to the liver. Having a fatty liver not only increases your chance of liver failure, but also of developing other disease such as diabetes and heart problems. The cause of the disease is unknown, but being overweight dramatically increases the likelihood of being afflicted. Diets high in fat and sugar and low physical activity both contribute to the rising number of cases, particularly in children. Patients with fatty liver disease will likely face significant health problems in the future if not treated early on. There is no cure for the disease and diagnosis is difficult, mainly because we do not understand what triggers it. We have shown that low levels of a protein called PGC-1alpha in the liver may cause or worsen fatty liver disease and our new studies will help to understand how this happens. Identifying the cause of fatty liver disease will help to discover ways to diagnosis patients early and to design more effective treatments.