Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) received a $626,188 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847), effective May 15, 2026, with completion targeted for March 31, 2030. This award funds basic biomedical research to advance understanding of hepatocyte plasticity—the capacity of liver cells to adopt alternative cell fates—as a potential therapeutic approach for cholestatic liver diseases.

The research project will investigate mechanisms underlying hepatocyte plasticity by examining disease models of Alagille Syndrome and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis to identify regulatory factors controlling the differentiation of hepatocytes into functional cholangiocytes and bile ducts. The research will employ advanced molecular techniques including spatially resolved single-cell analysis of gene expression, chromatin accessibility, and DNA methylation in human liver tissue from patients with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis and Biliary Atresia. The deliverables include mechanistic data, comparative analyses of developmental trajectories in disease models, and a comprehensive genomic and epigenomic characterization of hepatocyte plasticity in human disease contexts that will inform future therapeutic strategies for cholestatic liver disorders.