Ekihiro Seki, MD, PhD
Photo: Ekihiro Seki

Interests/specialties:

Resources:

Elected 2015

My research interest is to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying chronic liver disease, including liver fibrosis, alcoholic and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. In particular, my research investigates the role of innate immune and inflammatory signals and the crosstalk between different intracellular signaling (immune, inflammation, apoptosis, fibrogenic and metabolic) in chronic liver disease. I also investigate the interplay between different hepatic cell types (hepatocytes, Kupffer cells and hepatic stellate cells). I am studying three major research topics. The first topic is to investigate the role of Toll-like receptor signaling in chronic liver disease (liver fibrosis, alcoholic and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, and hepatocellular carcinoma). The second focus of my research is how underlying liver disease affects liver metastasis. We are also studying the role of hyarulonan, an ECM, in the development of liver fibrosis.