On Monday, 13 December 2021, MDPI and the Journal Biology organized the first webinar on Biology, entitled "Non-alcohol and Non-infection-Associated Liver Diseases".

The introduction was held by the Chair of the webinar, Prof. Dr. Kusum K. Kharbanda, Professor at the University Nebraska Medical Center and the Omaha VA Medical Center in the United States. Her expertise is in understanding the role of alcohol-induced alterations in methionine metabolic pathways in the development and progression of liver injury.

The first speaker to kick off this webinar was Prof. Dr. Valentina Medici. She is a Professor in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of California Davis, United States. Her NIH-funded research focuses on the epigenetic regulation of gene expression in Wilson disease, a rare disease of hepatic and brain copper accumulation. Her presentation was entitled "The Epigenetic Regulation of Wilson Disease".

The second presentation with the title "Mechanisms of Acetaminophen Hepatotoxicity: From Animal Models to Human" was held by Prof. Dr. Hartmut Jaeschke. His major research interests include basic mechanisms and translational aspects of xenobiotic-induced hepatotoxicity and tissue repair with focus on acetaminophen overdose and mechanisms of inflammatory liver injury in animal models and humans. He is a University Distinguished Professor and Chairman of the Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Therapeutics at the University of Kansas Medical Center, USA.

Prof. Dr. Natalie J. Torok from the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Stanford University, CA, USA was the third speaker and her presentation was entitled "Aging and Nash". Her laboratory has been focusing on the mechanism of liver fibrosis and the role of hepatocyte cell death in fibrogenic injury.

The fourth and last presentation, entitled "A Selective PPARγ Modulator Reduces Hepatic Fibrosis" was held by Prof. Dr. Robert G. Bennett from the University of Nebraska Medical Center (USA). His research interests are in liver and adipose tissue fibrosis and the use of relaxin and PPARgamma agonists as anti-fibrotic agents.

The presentations were followed by a Q&A and a discussion, moderated by the Chair. The webinar was offered via Zoom and required registration to attend. The full recording can be found here on Sciforum website. In order to stay updated on the next webinars on Biology, be sure to sign up for our newsletter by clicking on "Subscribe" at the top of the page.