E-Mail
IMAGE: Debanjan Dhar, PhD, is co-senior author of the study and assistant professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology at UC San Diego School of Medicine. view more
Credit: UC San Diego Health Sciences
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. NAFLD patients are at higher risk of developing Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which causes severe and chronic liver inflammation, fibrosis and liver damage. A patient with NASH is believed to be at high risk for developing a form of liver cancer called hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Apart from lifestyle interventions, there are currently no approved treatments for NASH. A liver transplant is sometimes the only remedy.
Noted Researcher and Scientific Leader Jack E. Dixon Retires
In a career spanning almost half-a-century, Dixon pioneered new discoveries and advanced science at both UC San Diego and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Jack E. Dixon, PhD, whose distinguished and varied 48-year career ranged from helping reveal how cells communicate and fundamental processes of disease to becoming a renowned scientific leader, including terms as associate vice chancellor of scientific affairs at UC San Diego School of Medicine and as chief scientific officer at Howard Hughes Medical Institute, is retiring.
Jack Dixon, PhD, a renowned scientific leader at UC San Diego School of Medicine and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, is retiring after a distinguished 48-year career.
Share
In earlier days of the COVID-19 pandemic, before diagnostic testing was widely available, it was difficult for public health officials to keep track of the infection’s spread, or predict where outbreaks were likely to occur. Attempts to get ahead of the virus are still complicated by the fact that people can be infected and spread the virus even without experiencing any symptoms themselves.
When studies emerged showing that a person testing positive for COVID-19 whether or not they were symptomatic shed the virus in their stool, “the sewer seemed like the ‘happening’ place to look for it,” said Smruthi Karthikeyan, PhD, an environmental engineer and postdoctoral researcher at University of California San Diego School of Medicine.