Obesity, liver disease and liver cancer

Primary liver cancer is one of the world’s deadliest cancers and the third most common cause of cancer death. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents 85-90% of primary liver cancers and is refractory to nearly all currently available anti-cancer therapies. Over the last 20 years, the incidence of HCC in developed countries has been increasing in developed countries including the United States, Europe and Australia. The obesity epidemic and the accompanying development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NALFD), evident in >85% of all obese individuals, are thought to be key contributors to the development of HCC. NAFLD has an estimated worldwide prevalence of >25% and encompasses a broad spectrum of liver conditions ranging from simple steatosis, or non-alcoholic fatty liver, to the more severe and progressive disease, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NASH is characterised by overt hepatic inflammation and tissue damage and ensuing reparative responses that result in fibrosis and ultimately cirrhosis, the principal cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality. Obesity-associated NASH is currently the third leading cause for liver transplantation and is expected to surpass hepatitis C as the principal cause for liver transplantation in the developed world. This project will build on recent work from the lab published in Cell and (Grohmann et al., 2018) and will take advantage of cancer cell models, animal models, pharmacological approaches and human liver cancer specimens and xenografts to determine the molecular mechanisms by which obesity drives the development of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) and explore novel approaches for combating the development of HCC in obesity. Exceptional graduate students with a high level (H1) Honours degree (or equivalent) in Biochemistry, Cancer Biology or a related discipline are encouraged to apply. The scholarship is open to Australian and New Zealand citizens or permanent residents only and is funded at the rate of the Australian Postgraduate award.