Yaron Rotman, M.D., M.Sc.
- Section Chief: Liver and Energy Metabolism Section, Liver Diseases Branch
- Senior Investigator: Clinical Research Section, Liver Diseases Branch
Professional Experience
- Clinical Research Fellow, Liver Disease Branch, NIDDK, 2006-2009
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology Fellowship, Rabin Medical Center, 2003-2006
- Internal Medicine Residency, Rabin Medical Center, 2000-2003
- M.D., Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, 2000
- M.Sc., Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School,2000
Research Goal
My ultimate goal is to increase understanding of the pathophysiology of fatty liver disease to allow for development of better treatment options.
Current Research
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disorder in the western world and is closely associated with metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and obesity. My main interest is in understanding the disease pathophysiology and through it, normal liver physiology. My studies focus on understanding the genetic aspects of fatty liver disease, its pathogenesis, the mechanisms of action of various treatment options, and the prediction of response to treatment.
Applying our Research
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is an extremely common disorder (affecting 30 percent of Americans) but currently has no approved therapy. Better understanding of the mechanisms of disease may allow for identification of druggable targets, better selection of patients for treatment, and early prediction of treatment response, with the overall effect of preventing death and suffering associated with the disease.
Need for Further Study
We need a better understanding of the mechanisms that cause some individuals to accumulate fat in the liver during caloric excess, while others are protected. Similarly, it is unclear why some individuals will develop liver injury and progressive disease after accumulating fat in their liver, while others maintain a relatively benign course. Finally, better treatment options are needed.
Select Publications
- 17-Beta Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase 13 Is a Hepatic Retinol Dehydrogenase Associated With Histological Features of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.
- Ma Y, Belyaeva OV, Brown PM, Fujita K, Valles K, Karki S, de Boer YS, Koh C, Chen Y, Du X, Handelman SK, Chen V, Speliotes EK, Nestlerode C, Thomas E, Kleiner DE, Zmuda JM, Sanyal AJ, (for the Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network), Kedishvili NY, Liang TJ, Rotman Y.
- Hepatology (2019 Apr) 69:1504-1519. Abstract/Full Text
- Postprandial Plasma Lipidomics Reveal Specific Alteration of Hepatic-derived Diacylglycerols in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.
- Velenosi TJ, Ben-Yakov G, Podszun MC, Hercun J, Etzion O, Yang S, Nadal C, Haynes-Williams V, Huang WA, González-Hódar L, Brychta RJ, Takahashi S, Akkaraju V, Krausz KW, Walter M, Cai H, Walter PJ, Muniyappa R, Chen KY, Gonzalez FJ, Rotman Y.
- Gastroenterology (2022 Jun) 162:1990-2003. Abstract/Full Text
Research in Plain Language
My main research studies focus on fatty liver disease—how it develops over time, its relationship to insulin resistance and obesity, and how it responds to treatment at the molecular level. A specific interest of mine is to determine how genetic variations affect the disease. I am interested in learning about normal physiology and the disease process from these variations. I am also studying how patients with fatty liver disease respond to different treatments, how treatments actually work, what makes one patient respond while another does not, and whether this can be predicted early on in treatment.