Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Inc. received a $164,484 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847), effective August 1, 2026, through April 30, 2031. The award funds basic biomedical research investigating the role of DNAJC22 protein in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), an emerging public health concern with limited therapeutic options. The research will elucidate cellular mechanisms governing lipid droplet accumulation in hepatocytes and identify potential therapeutic interventions targeting DNAJC22 as a novel treatment pathway for MASLD.

The deliverables encompass two primary research aims: (1) quantitative assessment of DNAJC22 effects on lipolysis, beta-oxidation, and lipoprotein export pathways using human hepatoma cells and precision-cut liver tissue slices; and (2) in vivo evaluation of therapeutic hepatocyte-directed DNAJC22 silencing on disease activity and fibrosis progression in murine MASLD models, with mechanistic analysis of neutral lipid flux alterations. Research outputs will advance mechanistic understanding of MASLD pathogenesis and inform development of targeted therapeutics, supporting the investigator's long-term career objective of establishing an independent laboratory program integrating human genetics, functional assays, and translational disease models to define the molecular basis of MASLD.