American Liver Foundation Hosts the 34th Annual Irwin M. Arias Symposium

Virtual and in-person event, Bridging Basic Science and Liver Disease, brings together hundreds of leading biomedical scientists and physicians from across the globe 

FAIRFIELD, N.J., Dec. 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- American Liver Foundation (ALF) is thrilled to host its 34^th annual Irwin M. Arias Symposium, Bridging Basic Science and Liver Disease, on Tuesday, December 2^nd from 9AM to 5PM EST. Hundreds of leading biomedical scientists and physicians from around the world will come together in-person and virtually for this important event that highlights remarkable scientific advances in basic biology and engineering. This prestigious hybrid one-day event encompasses 10 unique plenary talks from renowned researchers and a collection of three-minute micro talks delivered by trainee scientists. Each presentation highlights remarkable cutting-edge research that provides a better understanding of liver diseases and the best treatment options available today.

"The innovative research presented at this one-day event addresses critical aspects of ALF's mission and highlights notable discoveries and medical advances that can lead to earlier diagnosis and improved treatments for liver diseases," said Lorraine Stiehl, CEO, American Liver Foundation. "Some of the best physician scientists across the globe attend this symposium and it's a testament to the incredible legacy of Dr. Irwin M. Arias, recognized throughout the world for advancing liver disease research, and medical treatments and cures; we're so grateful for his expertise."

Senior Group Leader at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Head of the Research Program on 4D Cellular Physiology Dr. Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz will share insights on the complexities of signaling integration between and within cells. She pioneered the use of photoactivatable green fluorescent protein technology that helped develop the super-resolution imaging technique called Photoactivation Localization Microscopy (PALM). PALM is an innovative technique to visualize live cell protein populations and track their fate. It's considered the "best microscopic imaging in the world" for live-cell studies and is now a vital tool used throughout the research community. Institute Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology Dr. Robert Langer will share his unusual path from chemical engineering to nanotechnology to advances in biology and medicine. Langer pioneered the 3D polymer scaffolds for tissue engineering, which created new ways for tissues like skin and muscle to grow. His articles have been cited over 446,000 times – the highest of any engineer in history. He has written more than 1,600 articles and holds 1,500 patents, which have been licensed or sublicensed to over 400 companies and dozens of startups, including co-founding Moderna, maker of a widely distributed Covid vaccine. Langer's lab continues to research countless ways to deliver medicine in the body and advance tissue engineering.  

The Symposium is co-chaired by Sangeeta Bhatia, MD, PhD, John J. and Dorothy Wilson Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Institute of Medical Engineering and Science Department at MIT, and Wolfram Goessling, MD, PhD, Ensign Professor of Medicine, Professor of Cellular and molecular Physiology, and Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine. The overall programming has been designed to honor Dr. Arias' founding commitment to 'bridging' the gap between the academic, industrial, and clinical research communities – with a focus on liver, but also across disciplines.

"Each year this symposium offers cutting-edge liver-related research and extraordinary advances in medicine that gives us a better understanding of liver function and diseases," said Dr. Goessling. "Chronic liver diseases continue to be a public health crisis that impacts over 100 million people in the United States, so continued efforts to provide more effective tools for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for many liver conditions is incredibly important."

"The Arias Symposium provides an opportunity for scientists to share their research, while also encouraging the next generation of researchers to learn more about liver disease," said Dr. Bhatia. "Applying cutting-edge technologies to liver research yields exciting insights that allow all of us to learn about what's new and engaging in our field and beyond, and I'm honored to help organize and attend this informative event each year."

The symposium is open to researchers at every stage of their careers, and they are encouraged to share perspectives from their academic, industrial, and clinical research settings. In-person attendees will benefit from a poster session and networking opportunities with plenary speakers and other attendees. Breakfast, lunch, and a networking reception will also be provided to in-person attendees. Registration is FREE for all academic participants (including postdocs, fellows, graduate and undergraduate students) and most other attendees (except attendees with an industry affiliation). Both in-person and virtual attendance requires registration. Register here for this informative event.

This one-day virtual program will include topics such as: 

• Endoplasmic Reticulum and Long-Distance Calcium Signal Integration in Neurons
  • Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz, PhD – Howard Hughes Medical Institute
• How a Partnership of Patients, Researchers and Clinicians can Defeat Even Rare Cancers, 
• Lessons from Fibrolamellar Carcinoma
  • Sanford M. Simon, PhD, Rockefeller University
• Quo Vadis, Bile Acids?
  • Irwin M. Arias, MD (Program Founder), National Institutes of Health
• Bile Acids as the Master Regulators of Immunity in the Liver 
  • Siva Karthik Varanasi, PhD, U Mass Chan Medical School
• Hemodynamics in Fontan Associated Liver Disease
  • Ellen Roche, PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Developing Microbiome-Directed Therapeutics for Treating Childhood Undernutrition
  • Jeffrey Gordan, MD, WashU
• Unseen, Undiagnosed: Finding Liver Fibrosis in the Community
  • Arpan Mohanty, MBBS, Boston University
• Targeting Aging, Longevity and Rejuvenation 
  • Vadim Gladyshev, PhD, Harvard Medical School
• Hepatic Stellate Cell Plasticity and Memory in Chronic Liver Disease
  • Shuang (Sammi) Wang, PhD, Mount Sinai
• "The Road Not Taken": My Unusual Path from Chemical Engineering to Nanotechnology to Advances in Biology and Medicine 
  • Robert Langer, ScD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

For the full agenda, list of speakers, and registration, please visit alfevents.org/ariassymposium.  

In addition to the Arias Symposium, American Liver Foundation offers a research awards program in three categories, Liver Scholar Award, Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Award, and Pilot Research Awards that recently funded nine highly innovative projects into these rare diseases – Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), Autoimmune Hepatitis (AIH), Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency )(AAID) and Hepatic Adenomas (HA). Since 1980, ALF's research awards program has provided more than $30.1 million in research funding. Over 913 qualified scientists and physicians have pursued research careers in liver biology, disease, and treatment because they received these grants early in their careers. Learn more at liverfoundation.org/research.

About the American Liver Foundation
American Liver Foundation (ALF) is a national community of patients, caregivers and medical professionals dedicated to helping people improve their liver health. Providing guidance and life-saving resources, we are a beacon for the 100 million Americans affected by liver disease. We advocate for patients and families, fund medical research and educate the public about liver wellness and disease prevention. We bring people together through our educational programs and events and create a network of support that lasts a lifetime. ALF is the largest organization focused on all liver diseases and the trusted voice for patients and families living with liver disease. For more information visit www.liverfoundation.org or call: 1 800 GO LIVER (800-465-4837).

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SOURCE American Liver Foundation