New kind of liver cell identified may protect against common liver disease

A newly discovered type of liver cell may hold clues for treating severe liver disease, according to a recent study from the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute. The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, reveal a signaling pathway that can protect against metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, or MASH. This more severe form of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis liver disease, or MASLD, affects 5% to 10% of the U.S. adult population and leads to cirrhosis and liver cancer.