Comprehensive characterization of mechanisms, efficacy and safety of nutritional ketosis on liver outcomes in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)

Davide Masi, Sapienza University of Rome

 

Aims

I am a graduating resident doctor in Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases at the Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome. My clinical and laboratory research mainly focuses on obesity and metabolic disorders, including non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

My desire to complete my medical residency programme at the Sorbonne University in Paris meets specific objectives:
1) to work as a researcher in a highly stimulating environment and to engage daily with recognized experts in the field of endocrinology and obesity;
2) to acquire new laboratory skills in the field of cell biology such as mass spectrometry and microbiota analysis;
3) to combine clinical work in the Department of Endocrinology at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital with an in-depth study of NASH in one of the leading biomedical research centers in the world, with a renown for the study of adipose tissue fibrosis, chronic inflammation and modulation of the intestinal microbiota.

The portfolio of treatments for NASH is poor, and the diagnostic tools are either invasive or inaccurate. New studies suggest the involvement of the gut and other epigenetic players such as lysosomal lipase in the pathogenesis of NASH, in addition to the well-known role of lifestyle. A low- calorie Mediterranean diet leading to a 10% weight loss is the first-line treatment. Ketogenic diets (KDs) also appear to be very effective in reducing liver fat, although little evidence is available on their effect on advanced NASH.

My research project has two aims:
1) To investigate the impact of a KD on the radiological improvement of NASH with regard to fat infiltration, inflammation and fibrosis using highly reliable diagnostic tools.
2) To study the mechanisms underlying the action exerted by ketone bodies and the different distribution of macronutrients on liver pathology.

 

Grant awarded: €2,000.00