Award Winner 2021

Metabolic dysfunction Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD) has currently reached pandemic proportions, affecting 25% of the world population, and poses significant socio-economic burdens to all societies. Complex mechanisms and heterogeneous etiologies are associated with MAFLD, and hence efficient treatments remain obscure. Dysfunctions in gut barriers and altered lipid metabolism are among major underlying causes of MAFLD.

Dr. Moghadamrad’s research is aimed at gaining a better understanding of the causality of gut barrier dysfunction and alterations of lipid metabolism in MAFLD. More specifically, her project will investigate in depth the role of intestinal-mesenteric lymphatics in fatty liver disease, aiming to fill a gap in knowledge from either clinical or preclinical studies. The findings of this project have the potential to identify new targets for the treatment of MAFLD.

Dr. Moghadamrad’s career journey began several years ago in Switzerland when she started her master thesis under supervision of Prof. Collart at the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, University of Geneva in 2008. Afterwards, she joined hepatic hemodynamic laboratory at the Institute of clinical Pharmacology at University of Bern under supervisions of Prof. Dufour and Prof. De Gottardi, where she completed her Ph.D. thesis in 2014. She Subsequently joined the Department for Biomedical Research, Hepatology, of the University of Bern and continued her research (basic and clinical) in the University Clinic of Visceral Surgery and Medicine, Inselspital, Bern until 2020. In March 2020, she joined Laboratories for Translational Research of Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale to contribute to establish the newly founded Hepatology laboratory of Prof. De Gottardi and to start her own research group.