The annual American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) The Liver Meeting took place from November 7-11, 2025 in Washington, D.C. The Alpha-1 Foundation (A1F) was proud to exhibit at the event to the global hepatology community including clinicians, researchers, and allied health providers representing academia, clinical practice and industry. The meeting offered access to the latest breakthroughs in liver disease research, practical tools for patient care, and a powerful network of experts shaping the future of hepatology. The event provided a great opportunity to raise awareness for Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (Alpha-1) liver disease.
Alpha-1 related sessions were held throughout the event and featured key opinion leaders. Sessions included: Connecting the Clues: Lung and Liver Considerations in Diagnosing Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency presented by Dr. Aleksander Krag, Dr. James Stoller and Dr. Pavel Strnad, Global Consensus Endpoints for Clincal Trials: MetALD, ALD, MASLD, and Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency presented Dr. Aleksander A. Krag, Mazen Noureddin, Dr. Juan Arab, Dr. Debbie L. Shawcrass, Dr. Mary E. Rinella, Dr. Gyongyi Szabo and Dr. Rohit Loomba and Pathologists are From Mars, Hepatologists are From Venus: Decoding Steatotic Liver Disease presented Romil Saxema, Dr. Maria Isabel I. Fiel and Dr. Ryan M. Gill.
Thank you to Alpha-1 patient advocate, Eric Butcher for volunteering at the A1F Booth during the meeting. His personal perspective of Alpha-1 contributed to raising awareness for this rare condition, often misdiagnosed or overlooked.
A1F hosted its annual Grants Awards Reception honoring the grant awardees in the liver space. The Foundation continued to celebrate its 30th anniversary, a milestone that commemorates and honors the legacy of those who have impacted the Alpha-1 community, especially the Alphas and their families whom A1F serves. For three decades, with the insight of the Alpha-1 community, A1F has designed and launched innovative patient-focused programs and services that support Alphas along their journey, including a solid infrastructure to promote pioneering scientific research and the establishment of collaborative partnerships to advance the development of novel therapies.
A1F Leadership included Jon Hagstom, A1F Board of Director Chair, Dr. Jeanine D’Armiento, A1F Medical Liaison, and Dr. Virginia Clark, A1F Board Member.
This past April, the Grants Advisory Committee awarded 21 in-cycle grants to well-deserving applicants totaling over $3.75 million. Our research portfolio continues to strike a balance between its focus on lung and liver research, with 64% of the effort concentrated on lung research and 36% of the effort concentrated on liver research. We are at an exhilarating and critical moment for our community. There are now numerous new potential therapeutics in
the pipeline with diverse mechanisms of action, and A1F is optimistic that one or more of these treatments will prove beneficial in upcoming clinical trials. A1F is working thoughtfully and with urgency on many fronts to realize this vision.
The impact A1F has in advancing the cure for Alpha-1 is unparalleled, and this is highlighted in A1F’s current Impact Report. The investment we have made, especially over the last five years, has provided resources to build the scientific infrastructure focused solely on Alpha-1 research while maintaining A1F as the global leader in funding Alpha-1 specific research projects. A1F has provided seed funding over $100 million since its inception and leveraged those dollars by nearly a factor of 8, resulting in more than $750 million in ancillary funding invested in Alpha-1 research. Many researchers who have focused their careers on Alpha-1 research might not be doing so if it were not for the support they have received from the Alpha-1 Foundation over the years.
This annual gathering enables us to pause and reflect on the accomplishments made in the field, and to recognize those who will continue to advance research and bring us closer to a cure.
A1F 2025 LIVER AWARD RECIPIENTS:
JWW Career Development Grant: Shunqing Liang, PhD from University of Minnesota | Twin Cities
Prime Editing Strategies to Address the Root Cause of Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency
Pilot and Feasibility Grant: Leandro Soria, PhD from Fondazione Telethon ETS
Ureagenesis as a Novel Biomarker for AATD Liver Disease
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Grant : Shubham Kesarwani, PhD from Boston University
Identify the Genetic Risk Modifiers of Hepatotoxicity in Alpha1-Antitrypsin Deficiency
Research Grants: Lisa Cabrita, PhD from University College London
Molecular Studies of Antitrypsin’s Folding and Polymerisation in the Endoplasmic Reticulum
Lela Lackey, PhD from Clemson University
Translation Regulation of SERPINA1 mRNA Controls A1AT Protein Expression
Maurizio Molinari, PhD from Fondazione per l’Istituto di Ricerca in Biomedicina Bellinzona
Understanding the Molecular Mechanisms of Lysosomal Clearance of ATZ Polymers
Nunzia Pastore, PhD from Fondazione Telethon ETS
Unveiling the Role of SOX9 in the Liver Pathology of AATD
Pasquale Piccolo, PhD from Fondazione Telethon ETS
Development of RNA Aptamers Inhibiting Polymerization of Mutated Z Alpha-1-Antitrypsin
Thank you to the special event sponsors AlphaNet, CSL, Grifols, Takeda and Beam.
