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.