Does copper deficiency lead to liver disease?

 The liver is our central organ for maintaining proper levels of copper, an essential metal nutrient we get through diet. Too much copper is lethal. Too little copper has been linked to the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

"We know that copper deficiency causes changes in liver lipid metabolism, but we do not know why deficiency induces these changes, or the changes in gene expression and cell machinery that lead to pathology," says Professor Jason Burkhead.

Professor Burkhead was recently awarded INNOVATE seed money to develop a mouse model to investigate the role of copper in non-alcoholic liver disease. He's excited about moving from basic to translational research, and developing collaborations with clinicians who specialize in liver disease, including the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.

For Burkhead's main research questions and other facts about the liver, visit our INNOVATE research blog.