Clinical Research Activities

The Division of Liver Diseases in the Department of Medicine has a multitude of clinical research activities currently underway. In addition, here is the link to find our clinical trials.

Jawad Ahmad, MD
Current research projects include: 

  • Role of HCV in drug induced liver injury
  • Risk factors for biliary complications after liver transplantation
  • Drug induced liver injury and secondary sclerosing cholangitis
  • Drug induced liver injury and chemotherapy
  • Cenicriviroc in primary sclerosing cholangitis
  • Portal hypertension after liver transplantation

Dr. Ahmad is the co-primary investigator of Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network (DILIN) Mount Sinai regional site, a NIH/NIDDK research initiative to study cases of severe liver injury caused by caused by prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, and alternative medicines, such as herbal products and supplements.

Current research projects include:

  • Liver disease in the elderly
  • Viral hepatitis
  • Co-PI of clinical trials in viral hepatitis

Nancy Bach, MD
Current research projects include:

  • Epidemiologic and new treatment studies for patients with primary biliary cirrhosis and autoimmune hepatitis.  

Meena B. Bansal, MD
Current research projects include:

  • Role of HIV in hepatic inflammation and fibrosis
  • Novel treatments for NAFLD in HIV mono-infected patients
  • Anti-fibrotic clinical trials

Andrea D. Branch, PhD, MS
Current research projects include:

  • Triple therapy for HCV
    • Clinical- and cost-effectiveness of new treatments
    • Natural history of post-SVR HCV
  • HCV molecular virology
    • Viral mutations and HCC risk
    • Strategies for persistence
  • Treatment and pathogenesis in HIV/HCV co-infection
  • Risks and benefits of vitamin D supplements
  • Mining the MSSM data warehouse
    • Advanced liver disease, HIV, sickle cell, alcoholic hepatitis

Norbert Brau, MD
Current research projects include evaluation of the epidemiology, natural history, and therapy of HCV infection, HIV co-infection and hepatocellular carcinoma using the national VA clinical database. 

Charissa Chang, MD
Current research projects:

  • Incidence and natural history of portal vein thrombosis in patients with cirrhosis
  • Risk factors for HCC in patients with NASH.  
  • Dr. Chang is an investigator in several clinical treatment trials for hepatocellular carcinoma (STORM, BRISK, REACH), nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and thrombocytopenia..  She is a member of the data safety and monitoring board of the vitamin D trial directed by Dr. Branch, and an important contributor to the activities of the Hepatitis Outreach Network (HONE).

Douglas Dieterich, MD
Current research projects include:

  • Liver division and TRIO clinical databases for HCV treatment
  • Compassionate use of next-generation DAAs for HCV
  • Curing HBV
  • Liver disease in HIV monoinfection
  • PI on several clinical trials of novel HCV therapies in HCV and HIV/HCV infected patients

Scott L. Friedman, MD
Current research projects include:

  • Autophagy and stem cells in hepatocellular carcinoma
  • Contribution of fibrosis to hepatocellular carcinoma
  • Molecular regulation of stellate cell activation and fibrogenesis
  • Testing novel antifibrotic therapies in preclinical models and human trials

Priya Grewal, MD
Current research projects include:

  • Complications of portal hypertension
  • Complications after liver transplantation

Gene Im, MD
Current research projects include:

  • Genomic biomarkers in alcoholic liver disease and HCC
  • Early liver transplantation for severe alcoholic hepatitis
  • Malnutrition and sarcopenia in alcoholic liver disease and cirrhosis
  • Fluid and tissue characteristics in liver diseases; Co-director of nontumoral tissue utilization committee
  • Using SBP database to study complications of portal hypertension
  • Safety and efficacy of IFN-free HCV treatment after kidney transplantation
  • Immunization rates for HAV and HBV in patients with cirrhosis and vaccine efficacy cross-over study
  • Cost analysis of inpatient hospital transfers to a liver transplant center
  • Site coordinator, North American Consortium for the Study of End-Stage Liver Disease (NACSELD)

Leona Kim-Schluger, MD
Current research projects include:

  • Organ allocation policy
  • Quality improvement in the care of liver transplant recipients
  • Living-related liver transplantation

Franklin M. Klion, MD
Current research projects include:

  • Unexplained elevations of transaminases in patients with no apparent cause of liver injury
  • Optimal use of new treatments for viral hepatitis

Jennifer Leong, MD
Current research projects include:

  • Establishment of hepatitis B database at Mt Sinai to study the natural history of hepatitis B, evaluate efficacy of treatments and evaluate outcomes including decompensation, development of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma
  • Sepsis outcomes in patients with liver disease
  • Investigator in clinical trial for hepatitis B treatment cure

Josep Llovet, MD
Current research projects include: 

  • Director of the Mount Sinai Liver Cancer program, part of the Tisch Cancer Institute awarded as NCI designated Cancer Center.
  • Clinical development of novel treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC )and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC)
  • Establishing new molecular classifications of HCC and ICC based on integrative genomics approaches that incorporate genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and epigenetic information to define oncogenic drivers and predictors of outcome .
  • Director of the International HCC Consortium, a consortium of basic and translational researchers, including Dana-Farber- MIT (Boston), Hospital Clinic (Barcelona) and National Cancer Institute (Milan).
  • Chair/commitee member of guidelines of trial design and managment of HCC
    • International PI on pivotal trials assessing adjuvant and primary treatments of HCC, and oversees highly active translational research programs. 

Joseph A. Odin, MD, PhD
Current research projects include:

  • Identification of air pollution elements associated with increased prevalence of end-stage liver disease by geographic cluster analysis
  • Comparison of the intestinal microbiome in subjects with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with and without PSC in collaboration with the Mount Sinai IBD center
  • Analysis of drug-induce liver injury in patients undergoing chemotherapy
  • Evaluation of pre-natal toxin exposure on the future development of liver disease in offspring in collaboration with NYU environmental medicine department
  • Analysis of PBC and PSC genetics and environmental associations in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic, Rochester
  • Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network (DILIN) regional site at Mount Sinai, an NIH/NIDDK research initiative to investigate cases of liver injury caused by prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, and alternative medicines, such as herbal products and supplements. Contact Dr. Odin to refer a possible case of DILI.
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Daniela Sia, PhD
Current research projects include: 

  • Establishing new molecular classifications of HCC and ICC based on integrative genomics approaches that incorporate genomic, transcriptomic and epigenetic information
  • Identifying novel oncogenic drivers in HCC and ICC for more effective targeted therapies

Thomas Schiano, MD, MS
Current research projects include:

  • Evaluation of on plasma cell hepatitis and non-cirrhotic portal hypertension
  • Characterization and management of obliterative portal venopathy
  • Liver transplantation in patients infected with HIV
  • Living-related liver transplantation in patients with HCV
  • Vitamin D deficiency in patients with end stage liver disease
  • Fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis after liver transplantation
  • Prevention of HCV recurrence after liver transplantation for HCV
  • Identifying the safety and efficacy of HCV treatment in advanced liver disease before and after liver transplantation
  • The local impact of fibrosis on intrahepatic HCV RNA levels
  • Intestinal transplantation and TPN liver disease
  • Diagnosis and treatment of cholestatic liver disease

Augusto Villanueva, MD, PhD
Current research projects include:

  • Liquid biopsy in liver cancer: identification and validation of novel prognostic and predictive biomarkers in liver cancer through analysis of circulating tumor by-products.
  • Tumor heterogeneity and dynamics: Evaluation of intratumoral molecular diversity and how it evolves over time. Determine the role of heterogeneity in treatment response.
  • Patient-derived xenografts: Develop novel tools to validate oncogeneic drivers of liver cancer and identify mechanisms of resistance to systemic therapies.
  • Laboratory webpage