The Research Center for Alcoholic Liver and Pancreatic Diseases investigates how alcohol triggers liver and pancreatic injuries and the role of other risk factors in the development of these diseases.

Funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the Research Center is located at the USC Health Sciences Campus. Center members include nearly 60 scientists, clinicians and public health researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC, as well as some 20 leading scientists and clinicians from UCLA, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the Department of Veteran Affairs.

Center for Alcoholic Liver and Pancreas Diseases faculty work together to better understand the role of chronic alcohol use and other risk factors in diseases of the liver and pancreas, including cirrhosis of the liver, alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and alcoholic pancreatitis (AP). Through basic science, clinical research, epidemiological studies and a strong outreach program, Center researchers hope to develop new ways to prevent and treat these diseases, as well as to identify individuals and groups at highest risk.

Basic Science

Studies examine the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying alcohol’s damaging effects on these organs, and how that damage leaves the liver and pancreas so vulnerable to further disease. Researchers also focus on understanding how alcohol interacts with other known risk factors, such as gender, diet, viral hepatitis infection and drug use to trigger disease.

Clinical & Epidemiological

Center researchers do epidemiological studies to identify those facing the highest risks of alcohol-induced diseases. Their studies gauge the relative impact of secondary risk factors in people with ALD, cirrhosis and AP. Center outreach programs focus on the development of new intervention and prevention strategies, as well as education programs for those at high risk. In an early study, Center faculty members showed that Los Angeles County Hispanic males face a significantly higher risk of developing ALD than Hispanic females or other ethnic groups in the region.

In addition, the Center funds a select number of pilot research projects, provides core services to member and non-member researchers and is home to both the USC Cirrhosis Research Program and the Southern California Alcohol Research Group. The Center also offers graduate and post-doctoral training programs, a lecture series and online public information about alcohol-induced liver and pancreas diseases.