NIH Establishes Liver Disease Research Branch

Dr. Jay Hoofnagle Appointed as Founding Director

As of June 1, 2003, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) created the Liver Disease Research Branch within the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Dr. Jay H. Hoofnagle, recipient of the Hepatitis B Foundation’s Founders’ Award 2003, was appointed as its founding director. The Branch will also include Dr. Leonard Seef, an expert on viral hepatitis, and Dr. Jose Serrano, director for the Liver and Biliary Disease Program.

This new branch will serve to focus and accelerate research on liver disease in the NIDDK and help coordinate and stimulate liver-related research across the NIH and within other Federal agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Defense, the Bureau of Prisons, and the Veterans Affairs Administration.

The mission of the Liver Disease Research Branch will include the following: to plan and direct the program of research grants, cooperative agreements, epidemiological studies, clinical trials; prepare analyses of national research efforts and help identify gaps in research; assess needs for clinical and translational research; develop recommendations to the NIDDK Advisory Council regarding priorities, initiatives, and funding; advise and participate with outside lay organizations in responding to needs of patients with liver disease; and set national research priorities.

An initial important task set for the Liver Diseases Research Branch is to prepare an Action Plan for Liver Disease Research that will be completed in 2004. This Action Plan will provide an overview of current research funding in liver disease, summarize challenges to advancing liver disease research, delineate the major needs for future research, and prepare a tactical plan for meeting these needs.

During this process, the advice, suggestions and participation of all members of the liver disease research community is actively sought.

Visit the Liver Diseases Research Branch at the NIDDK web site where the progress in developing the Action Plan will be regularly updated.

The Hepatitis B Foundation is pleased to report that the
HBV Research Priorities 2000 developed at its annual Princeton Workshop will be used in the creation of the new NIH Action Plan for Liver Disease Research.

Posted October 2003