Meet Dr. Cristina Llorente

About Dr. Llorente

Dr. Cristina Llorente is an Assistant Professor at the University of California, San Diego. She holds a degree in Biochemistry from the Complutense University of Madrid and a Ph.D. from the Autonomous University of Madrid. Her translational research program focuses on the gut–liver axis, demonstrating that disruptions in the intestinal mucosal barrier, including the microbiota, epithelium, and immune system, are key drivers of liver disease progression. By defining these causal mechanisms, her work aims to convert fundamental biological insights into therapeutic strategies for liver diseases.

Dr. Llorente has led several high-impact discoveries in liver diseases:

She demonstrated that gastric acid suppression promotes alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) by inducing the overgrowth and hepatic translocation of Enterococcus species.
Her team identified cytolysin as a strong predictor of mortality in alcohol-associated hepatitis and developed a precision bacteriophage therapy targeting cytolysin-producing E. faecalis.
Her recent work showed that alcohol abuse is associated with a reduction in mAChR4 receptors on goblet cells. These receptors help maintain gut homeostasis by forming specialized, channel-like structures that enable controlled communication between the gut lumen and the immune system, known as GAPs. She further demonstrated that GAP formation protects against ethanol-induced steatohepatitis by promoting antimicrobial immunity and preventing bacterial translocation.

Dr. Llorente has established an exceptional track record of scientific autonomy, with accepted publications in world-class journals. This includes cornerstone discoveries published in Nature, Hepatology, Cell Metabolism, Nature Microbiology, and the Journal of Hepatology and Nature Communications, among others.

Her current research aims to discover cures for liver diseases, including alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD), metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), and MASLD with alcohol use disorder (MetALD).

Meet the PI in the Lab

"In our lab at the University of California, San Diego, we explore the intricate dance of the intestinal immune system, microbiota, and intestinal epithelium—a symphony orchestrating intestinal homeostasis and influencing liver disease onset. Through advanced microbiomics, single-cell RNA sequencing, and organoid cultures, we unravel the molecular blueprints of alcohol-associated liver disease and metabolic dysfunction-related liver diseases. Our mission is clear: to pioneer transformative therapies for these conditions, bridging bench to bedside with each discovery."

Awards & Honors

Pilot project grant by the Southern California Research Center for Alcoholic Liver and Pancreatic Diseases and Cirrhosis Research Program from the University of Southern California (USC), funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health under Award (NIAAA), USA

Year	Description
Oct 2008 - Feb 2013	Pre-doctoral fellowship (FPI), BES-2088-009275, Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO), Spain
Sept 2011	Roche Best Poster Award, XXXIV Spanish Association of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SEBBM) Congress, Barcelona University, Barcelona, Spain
May 2012 - Aug 2012	Pre-doctoral Internship fellowship, Olefsky’s laboratory, University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego), La Jolla, CA (USA). Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO), Spain
Dec 2016	Best Poster Award, 18^th Annual Symposium, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles, CA, USA
Feb 2017	The Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology CMGH Award for second most downloaded and cited review article; Turner JR, The CMGH Awards. Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2017 Feb 3;3(2):129-130
Jan 2018 - Dec 2018	Pilot project grant by the Southern California Research Center for Alcohol-associated Liver and Pancreatic Diseases and Cirrhosis Research Program from the University of Southern California (USC), funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health under Award (NIAAA), USA
Jan 2019 - Dec 2019	Pilot project grant by the Southern California Research Center for Alcohol-associated Liver and Pancreatic Diseases and Cirrhosis Research Program from the University of Southern California (USC), funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health under Award (NIAAA), USA
Mar 2019	Travel Award, Alcohol-Induced End Organ Diseases meeting organized by the Gordon Research Conference (GRC), Ventura, CA, USA
Jul 2018 - Jun 2021	Pinnacle Research Award from the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), USA
Jan 2020 - Dec 2020	Pilot project grant by the Southern California Research Center for Alcohol-associated Liver and Pancreatic Diseases and Cirrhosis Research Program from the University of Southern California (USC), funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health under Award (NIAAA), USA
Oct 2020 - Nov 2021	Hispanic Center of Excellence (HCOE) Faculty Scholar and HCOE Award by UC San Diego
Dec 2020 - Dec 2021	Jon I. Isenberg Fellowship Award, San Diego Digestive Diseases Research Center (SDDRC) and the Hellman Family Foundation
Oct 2021 - Nov 2022	Hispanic Center of Excellence (HCOE) Faculty Scholar and HCOE Award by UC San Diego
Oct 2022	Travel Award, 10th Microbiome & Probiotics R&D and Business Collaboration Forum” organized by the Global-Engage, held at the Hyatt Regency, Miami, FL, USA
Aug 2022 - Apr 2028	R01 AA029106-01A1 Award, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under Award, USA
Nov 2023	“Poster of Distinction.” Posters of Distinction are classified as being in the top 5% of scored poster abstracts and will receive special recognition in the Poster Hall. Isolation of myenteric and submucosal plexus from mouse gastrointestinal tract and subsequent co-culture with small intestinal organoids.” Meeting: “The Liver meeting® 2023” by the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) held at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center, Boston, MA, USA
Sept 2023 - Aug 2025	1R21AA030654-01A1 Award, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under Award, USA
Oct 2023 - Jun 2024	P30AR073761 UC San Diego Microenvironment in Arthritis Resource Center and the Arthritis Foundation Award
May 2023- April 2024	Center for Computational Biology & Bioinformatics (CCBB) Voucher Award," which includes a grant of $10,000, valid until April 30^th, 2024.
Nov 2023	“Poster of Distinction.” Posters of Distinction are classified as being in the top 5% of scored poster abstracts and will receive special recognition in the Poster Hall. Isolation of myenteric and submucosal plexus from mouse gastrointestinal tract and subsequent co-culture with small intestinal organoids.” Meeting: “The Liver meeting® 2023” by the AASLD held at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center, Boston, MA, USA. Boston, USA. Nov 2023.
Sept 2023 - Aug 2025	1R21AA030654-01A1 Award, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under Award, USA.
Oct 2023 - June 2024	P30AR073761 UC San Diego Microenvironment in Arthritis Resource Center (MARC) pilot grant, funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS).
May 2023 - April 2024	Center for Computational Biology & Bioinformatics (CCBB) Voucher Award, which includes a grant of $10,000, valid until April 30^th, 2024.
Jan 2024	Raya TonettiMF, Stärkel P, SchnablB, C Llorente. “Activation of the Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor 4 on Goblet Cells Prevents Ethanol-induced Steatohepatitis Averting Bacterial Translocation” Meeting: “15^th annual GI Division Research Symposium” held at UC San Diego, CA, USA. Jan 2024. Poster session winner.
May 2025 - April 2026	Center for Computational Biology & Bioinformatics (CCBB) Voucher Award, which includes a grant of $10,000, valid until April 30^th, 2024.
August 2025/2026	Prebys Foundation Pivot Grant to Drive Medical Research, $50,000. 2048716-01-OTHR GE UCFDN PREBYS PIVOT GRANT LLORENTE 7824