Grant: CIHR Fellowship

no approved drug to treat NAFLD. NAFLD can progress from simple fatty liver to liver inflammation and fibrosis. Eventually, it can progress to the need of liver transplantation. The underlying mechanisms leading to NAFLD progression are unclear. This is a challenge to develop drugs to treat the disease. Lipodystrophy refers to the partial or total absence of adipose tissue. People with lipodystrophy or those with obesity usually develop fatty liver disease. These people present changes in the microRNAs circulating in their blood. microRNAs are molecules that regulate metabolism between the fat tissue and the liver. The alteration of microRNA secreted by fat may be key to understand the progression of NAFLD. In this project, we will use models of obesity and lipodystrophy. We will investigate changes in the liver and blood microRNAs. We want to better characterize the underlying mechanisms involved in NAFLD progression. By doing this, we intend to contribute to the discovery of future drugs to treat NAFLD.