1. The role of inflammatory cells (e.g., macrophages, neutrophils) in the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

2. The impact of adipose tissue-liver crosstalk on NAFLD development

3. The influence of NAFLD-associated inflammatory environment on the synthesis/metabolism of lipid and cholesterol

Selected Publications

1. He Y,* Hwang S,* Ahmed YA, Feng D, Li N, Ribiero M, Lafdil F, Kisseleva T, Szabo G, Gao B. Immunopathobiology and therapeutic targets related to cytokines in liver diseases. Cell Mol Immunol 2021; 18(1):18-37 (*equal contribution).

2. Hwang S,* Ren T,* Gao B. Obesity and binge alcohol intake are deadly combination to induce steatohepatitis: A model of high-fat diet and binge ethanol intake. Clin Mol Hepatol 2020;26(4):586-594 (*equal contribution).

3. Hwang S,* Wang X,* Rodrigues RM, Ma J, He Y, Seo W, Park SH, Kim SJ, Feng D, Gao B. Protective and detrimental roles of p38a mitogen-activated protein kinase in different stages of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Hepatology 2020;72(3):873-891 (*equal contribution).

4. Hwang S, He Y, Xiang X, Seo W, Kim SJ, Ma J, Ren T, Park SH, Zhou Z, Feng D, Kunos G, Gao B. Interleukin-22 ameliorates neutrophil-driven nonalcoholic steatohepatitis through multiple targets. Hepatology 2020;72(2):412-429 (SELECTED AS COVER ARTICLE).

5. Hwang S, Feng D, Gao B. Interleukin-22 acts as a mitochondrial protector. Theranostics 2020;10(17):7836-7840.

6. Hwang S, Gao B. How does your fat affect your liver when you drink? J Clin Invest 2019;129(6):2181-2183.