Chronic Liver Disease
Alexander G. Miethke, MD
Assistant Professor
Department of Pediatrics; Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, & Nutrition
Description of Research
Dr. Miethke’s research focuses on the immunology of neonatal liver injury. The goal of his current research projects is to delineate whether regulatory T cells contribute to the pathogenesis of biliary atresia, which is the most common indication for pediatric liver transplantation worldwide. To this end, Dr. Miethke studies the interaction of these master regulatory cells with other immune cells involved in inflammatory bile duct injury in a mouse model of the disease. In complementary translational studies, he is testing test the hypothesis that numeric and functional deficiency of regulatory T cell plays key roles in pathogenesis of disease and modulates the clinical course of affected infants.
Collaborations and Core Use
Dr. Miethke collaborates with Drs. Bezerra, Chougnet and Mattner studying immune mediated liver injury. He also works with Drs. Bezerra and Heubi on the ChiLDREN consortium studying the pathogenic mechanisms of biliary atresia and other cholestatic liver diseases. Projection of Core use: Gene and Protein Expression, Bioinformatics, and Integrative Morphology Cores.
