Cecilia M. P. Rodrigues, group leader of Cellular Function and Therapeutic Targeting Lab at iMed.ULisboa was awarded with a Health Research 2021 grant from “la Caixa” Banking Foundation with the project entitled RIPK3 biology and targeting in metabolic liver disease.

This project aims to unveil the multifunctional aspects of inflammatory cell death in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most frequent chronic liver disease, affecting 30% of the population. The increasing prevalence of type II diabetes and obesity drives growth of NAFLD which may progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and risk of disease complications. Currently with no expedite diagnosis or market-approved therapy, NASH is a huge unmet medical need. This project aims to: 1) predict NAFLD progression based on non-clinical and clinical datasets; 2) investigate multifunctional aspects of inflammatory cell death; and 3) qualify novel necroptosis inhibitors that change disease course.

Using integrative systems biology, comparative biology with human disease and artificial intelligence drug discovery, this project will provide further understanding of disease pathogenesis and therapies to stop NAFLD progression.

Other Portuguese projects awardees included researchers from Instituto de Medicina Molecular (iMM, Lisbon), Universidade do Minho (UM, Braga), Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde da Universidade do Porto (i3S, Porto), Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular da Universidade de Coimbra (CNC, Coimbra), and Laboratório Ibérico Internacional de Nanotecnologia (INL, Braga).

Find more information check Fundacion La Caixa webpage, here.