Metabolic and Inflammatory programs Associated to liver Macrophage heterogeneity – MIAM

While obesity has emerged as a pandemic in the past decades, underlying biological mechanisms are still unclear and therapeutic solutions remain poor. Macrophages are immune cells which reside in every organ including the ones involved in metabolic regulation such as the pancreas, adipose tissue and liver. Our aim is to gain insights into the biology of liver resident macrophages which have identified as key drivers of metabolic-associated fatty liver diseases, known as NAFLD or NASH currently. By combining a fundamental approach based on original mouse models with human samples from patients suffering from such disorders, we aim at identifying key pathways in liver macrophages involved in obesity-associated liver disorders. We will identify targets which can be used in new therapy development to face this rising global health challenge.