Liver Cell Biology

The academic staff of the Liver Cell Biology Lab (LIVR) is formed by Prof. Leo van Grunsven (Head of LIVR) and Prof. Hendrik Reynaert (Head of Gastroenterology Department at the UZ Brussel hospital).

In general, research projects at LIVR aim to better characterize the different liver cell types in healthy and pathological conditions, and to gain a better insight in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis and the mechanisms of liver regeneration.

LIVR is focussing on a strong interaction between the various sections that strengthen the translational aspects of its research activities.

The LIVR team investigates:

• the mechanisms of liver fibrosis development and resolution
• the identification of hepatic stellate cell-specific biomarkers for liver fibrosis staging
• the generation of in vitro liver disease models
• iPSC derived liver cells for in vitro disease modeling
• the role for liver progenitor cells during liver regeneration

Long term objectives are:

• Contribute to the understanding of mechanisms involved in liver fibrosis
• Discover therapeutic targets for chronic liver diseases including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
• Develop in vitro models representative for human chronic liver disease