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.
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