Ana Lleo De Nalda

Her main research interests aim to clarifying the pathogenesis of autoimmune liver disease, in particular Primary Biliary Cholangitis (CBP). She described for the first time specific characteristics of epithelial cells in the bile duct, the target of the CBP immune attack, which would seem essential to explain the biliary specificity of CBP, the recurrence of disease after liver transplantation, and the therapeutic success of ursodesoxic acid.

She is a member of the International Study Group for PBC (PBC Global Group), of the International PSC Study Group and the International Autoimmune Hepatitis Network.

1. Lleo A, Selmi C, Invernizzi P, Podda M, Coppel RL, Mackay IR, Gores GJ, Ansari AA, Van De Water J, Gershwin ME. – Apotopes and the biliary specificity of primary biliary cirrhosis. Hepatology, 2009 Mar;49(3):871-9 ISSN: 0270-9139
2. Lleo A, Bowlus LC, Yang QX, Invernizzi P, Podda M, Van de Water J, Ansari AA, Coppel RL, Worman HJ, Gores GJ and Gershwin ME. –Biliary apotopes and antimitochondrial antibodies activate innate immune responses in primary biliary cirrhosis. Hepatology 2010; Sep;52(3):987-98.
3. Liu X, Invernizzi P, Lu Yue, Kosoy R, Lu Yan, Bianchi I, Podda M, Xu C, Xie G, Macciardi F, Selmi C, Lupoli S, Shigeta R, Ransom M, Lleo A, Lee AT, Mason AL, Myers RP, Peltekian KM, Ghent CN, Bernuzzi F, Zuin M, ICPBCG, Gregersen PK, Heathcote EJ, Hirschfield GM, Siminovitch KA, Amos CI, Gershwin ME, and Seldin MF. – Genome-wide meta-analyses identify three loci associated with primary biliary cirrhosis. Nature Genetics, 2010 Aug;42(8):658-60
4. Lleo A, Zhang W, McDonald WH, Seeley EH, Leung PS, Coppel RL, Ansari AA, Adams DH, Afford S, Invernizzi P, Gershwin ME. – Shotgun proteomics: identification of unique protein profiles of apoptotic bodies from biliary epithelial cells. Hepatology. 2014 Oct;60(4): 1314-23
5. Lleo A, Jepsen P, Morenghi E, Carbone M, Moroni L, Battezzati PM, Podda M, Mackay IR, Gershwin ME, and Invernizzi P – Evolving trends in female to male incidence and male mortality of primary biliary cholangitis. Scientific Reports 2016