Hepatic Cell News

Hepatic Cell News is an online resource covering the top research on hepatocytes and liver diseases.

National Academy of Inventors Honors VCU’s Shunlin Ren As a Fellow

January 30, 2026

[Virginia Commonwealth University] Shunlin Ren, M.D., Ph.D., was notified of the election to the 2025 class of fellows of the National Academy of Inventors, the highest professional distinction for academic inventors in the United States.

Novel Tetrahydroxanthylium-Based Ligands Targeting Mitochondrial DNA G-Quadruplex Structures for Concurrent Induction of Apoptosis and Inhibition of Autophagy in Liver Cancer

January 30, 2026

[Journal of Medicinal Chemistry] The authors introduced XAN-5, a novel mitochondrial DNA G-quadruplex-targeting tetrahydroxanthylium ligand that can simultaneously induce apoptosis and inhibit autophagy.

Silk Fibroin Scaffolds Loaded with Growth Factors Can Reverse Liver Fibrosis

January 30, 2026

[Biomaterials Science] Scientists explored the therapeutic potential of regenerated silk fibroin scaffolds loaded with dual growth factors for reversing hepatic fibrosis.

Chlorogenic Acid Alleviates Chronic Restraint Stress-Induced Liver Injury Potentially Nrf2-Mediated Inhibition of Ferroptosis and Mitochondrial Apoptosis

January 30, 2026

[Food & Function] Scientists demonstrated that chlorogenic acid, a natural antioxidant, markedly alleviates chronic restraint stress-induced liver injury in rats.

PERK/ATF4/LAMP3-Arm Contributes to the Aggressive Phenotype of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells in Response to the Chronic Ethanol Exposure

January 30, 2026

[Scientific Reports] Investigators tried to elucidate the role of UPR pathway in exacerbating HCC prognosis under the condition of alcohol-associated HCC.

Potential Oncogene VPS72 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Prognostic and Immune Infiltration Implications

January 30, 2026

[European Journal of Medical Research] Investigators explored VPS72 mRNA and protein levels in HCC using bioinformatics and clinical samples, examining their relationship with clinical factors and immune cell infiltration.

LOXL2 and SYVN1 Cooperate across Cellular Compartments to Drive Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression

January 30, 2026

[Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications] Researchers systematically investigated the collaborative roles of lysyl oxidase like 2 (LOXL2) and synoviolin 1 (SYVN1) in liver hepatocellular carcinoma progression and their underlying molecular mechanisms.

Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease and Steatohepatitis-Associated Hepatocarcinoma Preclinical Models

January 30, 2026

[Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology] Scientists discuss the strengths and weaknesses of prevalent metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis-hepatocellular carcinoma preclinical models, expanding the discussion to the latest advances in vivo and in vitro.

SMYD2-Mediated Methylation of STAT1 Protects against Hepatic Ischaemia/Reperfusion Injury by Blocking JAK-STAT1 Signaling Pathways

January 15, 2026

[Gut] Investigators identified SMYD2, SET and MYND domain Containing 2 (SMYD2) as a critical regulator of signal transducers and activators of transcription 1 (STAT1) and investigated the mechanistic basis of SMYD2-mediated post-translational modifications in modulating STAT1 function during hepatic ischaemia/reperfusion.

Targeting SPAK Suppresses Progression and Averts an Immune Exhaustive Microenvironment in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

January 15, 2026

[Nature Communications] Researchers showed STE20/SPS1-related proline/alanine-rich kinase (SPAK) as a candidate immune exhaustion–associated gene identified through a pooled screen of protein kinases.

PSMD1 Inhibition Suppresses Tumor Progression and Enhances Antitumor Immunity by Modulating the RTKN/β-Catenin/PD-L1 Axis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

January 15, 2026

[Cell Death & Disease] Scientists focused on PSMD1 to investigate its role and the molecular pathways by which it regulates the response to immunotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Combination of GLP-1 Receptor Agonist and Akkermansia muciniphila Akk11 Reduces Adiposity and Ameliorates MASLD in T2D Mice

January 15, 2026

[Cell & Bioscience] The authors investigated the metabolic and mechanistic effects of combining semaglutide with Akkermansia muciniphila 11 (Akk11) in db/db mice, a model of type 2 diabetes (T2D)-associated metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).

The publications featured in Hepatic Cell News are expertly selected by our in-house editorial team from high impact, peer-reviewed academic journals. We cover areas including the culturing and characterization of hepatocytes, liver stem cells, and the pathogenesis of conditions such as liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Additionally, we provide the latest updates on broader news, upcoming events, and job postings to keep the global liver research community connected!