Nguyen Laboratory
Key investigator
- Alexander H. Nguyen, MD, PhD
Liver lipid metabolism
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most common liver disease in America, affecting one in three adults. While most patients with this condition have an excellent prognosis, a subset of patients develop steatohepatitis, which is characterized by hepatocyte stress and immune cell activation. This chronic damage and inflammation lead to fibrosis, end-stage liver disease, and cancer.
The goal of our research is to understand how lipid metabolism contributes to the development of steatohepatitis. We study genes and cellular processes that function to protect hepatocytes from environmental and genetic stressors. We utilize a broad range of techniques to understand these processes including molecular assays, biochemistry, cellular models, animal models, and patient data. By understanding these pathways, we hope to develop molecular diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic tools to improve the clinical management of steatotic liver disease.
Honors and awards
- NIH-NIDDK K08 grant, 2024
- Dr. Nguyen, assistant clinical professor of medicine, was awarded a K08 Clinical Investigator Award from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. This five-year award of $853,000 supports Dr. Nguyen’s research on the “Role of a Novel Methyltransferase in Liver Lipid Metabolism.” His work aims to characterize how a methyltransferase regulates cellular cholesterol metabolism and contributes to the development of steatotic liver disease.
- DDW Basic Science Travel Award, 2024
- Research Scholar Award, American Gastroenterological Association, 2023
- Emerging Generation Award, American Society for Clinical Investigation, 2023
- Resident/Fellow Ambassador, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, 2019
- Emerging Liver Scholar Award, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, 2018
About Dr. Nguyen
Dr. Nguyen received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, his medical degree from Weill Cornell Medical College and doctoral degree from The Rockefeller University. He performed undergraduate research on tumor suppressors with Iswar Hariharan. For his graduate studies with Sohail Tavazoie, he used large-scale functional genomic screening and xenograft animal models to study metabolic mechanisms involved in colorectal cancer metastasis. Dr. Nguyen then completed his internal medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship at UCLA. He performed post-doctoral research with Peter Tontonoz studying regulation of lipid metabolism. His fellowship research training was supported by the UCLA Specialty Training and Advanced Research (STAR) program and a NIH T32 UCLA GI training grant. Dr. Nguyen joined the faculty at the UCLA Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases in 2023. He was awarded an Emerging Generation Award from the American Society for Clinical Investigation and a Research Scholar Award from the American Gastroenterological Association. His goal is to understand lipid regulation in the liver to better diagnose and treat steatotic liver disease.
Lab members
Alison Blencowe
Alison received a BS in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology from the University of Washington in Seattle. As an undergraduate researcher, she studied the role of kinase signaling in early neurodevelopment and neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder under Dr. Smita Yadav. She plans to attend graduate school to obtain her PhD in molecular biology.
Gabriel Ordonez
Gabriel received a BS in physiological science from UCLA and studied stem cell neurodevelopment at Cambridge University. His undergraduate research involved brain-computer interfaces and stroke epidemiology. His current projects investigate transcription factor variants in lipolysis and lipid trafficking in alcoholic steatohepatitis. He aims to earn his MD-PhD to research the neurometabolism of degenerative diseases like ALS. He enjoys working out and travel.
Khoi Pham
Khoi received a BS in biochemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is a graduate student in the Molecular, Cellular & Integrative Physiology (MCIP) PhD Program and is interested in studying lipid metabolism. He loves being in nature.
Undergraduate students
- Lany Tran
- Zaid Vellani
Publications
Contact us
If you would like to contact us, please email Dr. Nguyen at .
If you are interested in joining our research group, please include a cover letter detailing your relevant accomplishments and your CV.