Dr Simon Worrall    Senior Lecturer

	Biography

Mechanisms of drug-induced liver damage.

Liver disease has long been associated with the abuse and clinical use of drugs. My research interests focus on ethanol, perhaps the most commonly abused drug, and the widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS). Both NSAIDS and ethanol are widely tolerated but induce liver disease in a small number of individuals.

Research projects listed below investigate immunological and genetic phenomena associated with drug-induced liver disease.

• Does ethanol alter hepatic gene expression to cause liver damage?
  
• Does ethanol alter hepatocyte sensitivity to cytokines leading to cell death?
  
• Is protein modification by ethanol metabolites involved in the aetiology of alcoholic liver disease?
  
• Do keratin 8 or 18 mutants sensitise the liver to toxins?
  
• Is an aberrant immune response involved in NSAID adverse reactions?
  
• What is the mechanism of toxicity of the Bracken fern toxin ptaquiloside?
  
  
  

  	Keywords
  	Medical: Immunology, Medical: Gene Expression, Social Sciences: Drugs/Drug Abuse, Medical: Liver Disorders