Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease – The Essentials

The liver contributes to overall body homeostasis through several biochemical processes and without these functions we cannot maintain life. In the first lectures, Professor Jens Juul Holst will discuss the physiology of the human liver focusing on biochemical concepts as gluconeogenesis, glycogenolysis, lipid and amino acid metabolism. The videos will also cover how external hormonal systems such as pancreatic islets regulate liver metabolism. After completing module 1 you will have a broad and basic understanding of the physiology and pathophysiology of the liver. In the subsequent modules, we will build on top of module 1 by exploring fatty liver disease.

What causes non-alcoholic fatty liver disease? This is the core question of module 2.

We will kickstart this module by reviewing epidemiological data on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by professor Peter Jepsen. In the second half, professor Bente Kiens will dig into which nutrients that may drive fat infiltration of the liver. The diversity in the risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and NASH will be discussed from a genetic approach by doctor Stefan Stender.

Professor Henning Grønbæk will commence module 3 with an overview of the multiple hit hypothesis followed by Hendrik Vilstrup who will describe how the liver function is affected in patients with NAFLD.

Professors Flemming Bendtsen and Lise Lotte Gluud will discuss how to diagnose non-alcoholic fatty liver disease with or without fibrosis by non-invasive tests and describe when additional tests including histological assessment is required. Professor Mogens Vyberg will take us into the world of liver diagnostic by zooming in on the histological traits of liver tissue from patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The module will be concluded by perspectives on how ‘omics’ technologies such as protemics may contribute to identification of novel biomarkers in a lecture by Associate Professor Nicolai J. Wewer Albrechtsen and an interview with Professor Matthias Mann.