There are two senior research scientists, Dr Alex Bishop and Dr Mark Gorrell , a post doctoral scientist Dr Catherine Abbott, five PhD students and two Master of Medicine students. The major cause of liver failure is cirrhosis, which is characterised by development of abnormal nodules of liver cells separated by layers of fibrous tissue. Cirrhosis develops as a result of chronic damage to the liver and leads to inexorable loss of liver function. The major causes of cirrhosis are excessive alcohol intake, autoimmune liver disease and chronic viral hepatitis. The incidence of viral hepatitis is increasing and hepatitis C is now a major and growing cause of chronic liver damage leading to cirrhosis.
Viral hepatitis is now responsible for one third of all cases of liver cirrhosis.
Our laboratory has been examining the role of the immune system in autoimmune and viral cirrhosis. We have made considerable progress in our understanding of these processes and have found that the liver damage in hepatitis C infection is due to the immune system rather than to the virus itself. We are also studying molecular mechanisms of tissue repair and regeneration as well as defining molecular-cellular interaction with the liver using a transgenic model of liver injury. Liver transplantation is the only effective therapy for end stage liver failure. Approximately four out of every five transplanted livers are still functioning after one year.