Andrew Libby PhD

Loss of ovarian function through menopause or surgical ovariectomy (OVX) greatly increases the risk of fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in women and rodents and treatments for NAFLD have only been modestly effective. Interestingly, the loss of ovarian function leads to the enrichment of abdominal adipose tissue with bone marrow-derived adipocytes(BMDA), which have been shown to promote inflammation that might affect other organs such as the liver. The goals of this work are 1) to directly elucidate the contribution of BMDA to fatty liver development after surgical ovariectomy in mice, and 2) evaluate how BMDA infiltration into abdominal adipose tissue after ovariectomy alters the composition of blood that supplies the liver (portal blood). Overall, this work will uncover new therapeutic targets and strategies for a serious disease which currently has very limited treatments.