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About Dr. Rohit Loomba
Dr. Rohit Loomba is Professor of Medicine (with tenure) in the Division of Gastroenterology, and Adjunct Professor in the Division of Epidemiology at University of California, San Diego. He is a leading expert in translational research and innovative clinical trial design in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and steatohepatitis (NASH).
Dr. Loomba is the founding director of the UCSD NAFLD Translational Research Unit where his team is conducting cutting edge research in all aspects of NAFLD including non-invasive biomarkers, genetics, epidemiology, clinical trial design, imaging end-points, and integrated OMICs using microbiome, metabolome and lipidome. This integrated approach has led to several innovative applications such as establishment of MRI-PDFF as a non-invasive biomarker of treatment response in early phase trials in NASH, and first prospective study of MRE in patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD, and MOZART Trial being the first trial in NASH with comprehensive MRI and 2D and 3D MRE assessment paired with liver biopsies in NASH. He follows one of the largest cohort of well-characterized patients with NAFLD and applies evidence-based medicine to answer clinically relevant questions to improve management of patients with chronic liver disease.
He is the founder and principal investigator of the San Diego Integrated NAFLD Research Consortium (SINC). His research is funded by the National Institutes of Health, American Gastroenterology Association, National Science Foundation as well as several investigator initiated research projects funded by the industry. He is the Principal Investigator for adult hepatology for the NIDDK-sponsored NASH Clinical Research Network (2009-19) and is a member of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.
Dr. Loomba is an elected member of the board of directors of the American Liver Foundation. He serves as the co-chair of the Research Award Panel for the American Liver Foundation. In addition, he serves on various committees of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). He is also an elected member of the steering committee of the Steatosis and Steatohepatitis Special Interest Group of the AASLD. He serves on the editorial board of several leading journals, and is the Associate Editor for Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, a leading journal in the field of Gastroenterology.
The types of research conducted includes patient-oriented clinical research based upon patients seen in the liver clinic, clinical trials, population-based cohort studies, twin studies, and clinical decision making by utilizing meta-analytic approaches. He continues to work in close collaboration with his colleagues at the National Institutes of Health, where he received his clinical and research training in advanced hepatology.
He leads a multidisciplinary team of trainees, nurses, clinicians and scientists in conducting cutting edge translational research in liver disease. Dr. Loomba and his collaborators are leading a major effort into non-invasive biomarkers especially imaging modalities for assessment of fat, inflammation, cell injury and fibrosis in patients with chronic liver diseases, and developing therapies for the treatment of NASH and NASH related fibrosis.
The central goal of his research program is to reverse NASH and fibrosis, and stop progression of liver disease in patients with NAFLD.
News & Events
May 2, 2017 – "Determining exactly who has or is at risk for the disease is a critical unmet medical need," said first author Rohit Loomba, MD, professor of ..." "Stool Microbes Predict Advanced Liver Disease"
December 9, 2016 - Dr. Loomba's work on better ways to detect nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is featured in the UC San Diego Health Sciences News tumblr blog story, "Detecting Liver Disease: Two Imaging Methods Go Head to Head"
October 6, 2016 - Dr. Loomba is a quoted expert in the STAT story, "As a stealthy liver disease becomes more common, the search for treatments accelerates"
October 3, 2016 - Dr. Loomba and his work are featured in "A silent liver disease epidemic," the cover story in the October 3 issue of Chemical and Engineering News
July 28, 2016, World Hepatitis Day - Dr. Loomba interviewed with Scott A. Suckow of the American Liver Foundation on KUSI News
July 5, 2016 - Association of noninvasive quantitative decline in liver fat content on MRI with histologic response in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis" - Dr. Loomba is senior author on the report published online in Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology | Read the Abstract
June 16, 2016 - Published in Hepatology - NAFLD Research Center findings suggest shared genetic effects between hepatic steatosis and fibrosis | Read accepted article
May 16, 2016 - Dr. Loomba presents UC San Diego Progress in the Science of Medicine (PRISM) Lecture, "Innovative Study Design and Novel Imaging in Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis," 12 - 1 p.m., Garren Auditorium, Biomedical Sciences Building | View event flyer
May 12, 2016 - Diabetes Drug Found No Better Than Placebo at Treating NAFLD - But randomized, double-blind clinical trial suggests better way to conduct future trials - Dr. Loomba is senior author on the report in the Journal of Hepatology
More News in the Loomba Lab News Archive