Curie Brief
Turn on cookies to sign in
Signing in saves your progress to your Curie account. We can only do that with cookies on — turn them on to continue.
NewsA newly identified enzyme called UBE2N could be the liver's built-in defense against serious liver disease. Researchers at Cedars-Sinai found that UBE2N helps clear damaged mitochondria and break down fat — and when its levels drop, liver inflammation and scarring worsen. Restoring the enzyme in mice reduced liver damage, pointing to a promising new treatment target for MASH.
Researchers at Cedars-Sinai have identified an enzyme called UBE2N that appears to act as a natural shield against the progression of fatty liver disease. Published in Nature Metabolism, the preclinical study found that UBE2N helps liver cells clear out damaged mitochondria and break down excess fat — two key processes that, when disrupted, drive the disease toward its more dangerous form.
The more serious condition, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), involves fat buildup alongside inflammation, cell injury, and scarring. Current treatment options are limited, with no cure available, making the search for new therapeutic targets urgent. When researchers restored UBE2N to normal levels in mice, they observed meaningful reductions in fat accumulation, inflammation, and scarring — suggesting the enzyme could become a viable treatment target.
By the Numbers
Why it matters: With no cure for MASH and limited therapies available, pinpointing a naturally occurring protective enzyme opens a new avenue for drug development — one that could complement existing treatments and potentially slow or prevent serious liver damage in millions of patients.
