“SPARK is perfect for this project because this is an entirely new research direction, and I would need preliminary data before I could apply for larger NIH grants.”
2024 Tullie and Rickey Families Spark Awards Winner
Thomas Riffelmacher, Ph.D.
Are fat-addicted MAIT cells driving liver disease?
Funded: February 2024
Funded by: The generosity of LJI Board Director David Rickey and the Rickey Family
Fatty liver disease affects 30-40 percent of U.S. adults and often goes unnoticed in its early stages. Fatty liver disease is triggered by factors like alcohol consumption and poor diet, and can lead to severe conditions such as steatosis and liver cancer. My SPARK project investigates Mucosal Associated Invariant T (MAIT) cells, which produce the molecule IL-17, a key driver of the disease.
I developed a system to isolate MAIT cells from donor samples and assessed their responses under various conditions. By culturing these cells with labeled glucose, I measured their glucose consumption and metabolic activity, compared to CD8+ T cells. This analysis may help uncover metabolic factors that cause MAIT cells to contribute to disease progression.
Supported by SPARK, I’m analyzing MAIT cells from individuals with different body mass indices (BMI) and fatty liver disease. This research seeks to find targets to stabilize or repair liver tissue, potentially leading to new treatments for fatty liver disease.
