Liver Immunology

Dr Antonio Riva

• Principal Investigator, Head of the ‘Liver Immunology & Sex-Associated differences’ (LISA) Research Group
• Lecturer (Adj), King’s College London
• Contact: a.riva@researchinliver.org.uk

Dr Riva is a ‘Biomedical Sciences’ MSc graduate (FHEQ 7) and has a PhD in ‘Molecular Medicine, Immunology, and Inflammation’ (FHEQ 8) from University of Milan. Antonio is also a certified Statistician, holding two qualifications in ‘Practical Statistics & Data Analysis’, and ‘Theoretical and Mathematical Statistics, Probability, and Statistical Modelling’ (both BSc-equivalent, FHEQ 6).

Dr Riva’s current research centres on immune dysregulation and modulation in liver disease, with particular focus on sex-associated differences, alcohol-related disease, autoimmune liver disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Liver Immunology & Sex-Associated differences (LISA) Research Group

The LISA Research Group investigates immune mechanisms and sex-based differences to advance understanding of liver disease development, progression, and disparities.

Our Premises

(1) Liver diseases involve complex immunological alterations that weaken anti-pathogen defences, influence anti-cancer immunity, and drive disease progression.

Autoimmune liver conditions are inherently immune-mediated; low-grade inflammation often accompanies and contributes to fibrosis; and in cirrhosis, systemic inflammation and exhaustion of antigen-specific immune responses become defining features, raising infection risk and sepsis-driven mortality. In liver cancer, disease-driven immunosuppression enables the tumour to escape defences and progress.

(2) Liver diseases exhibit significant sexual dimorphism, with males and females differing in exposure, risk factors, susceptibility, incidence/prevalence patterns, and outcomes.

For example, men and women differ in their response to alcohol exposure, leading to distinct sex-specific patterns in alcohol addiction, early disease development, and liver disease severity and prognosis; primary biliary cholangitis is diagnosed ~9 times more frequently in women than men; and steatotic liver disease develops earlier and is more severe in men than women, during reproductive age. Estrogen appears to provide partial hepatic protection in women before menopause; however, many mechanisms underlying these differences remain unclear.

(3) Biological sex profoundly influences immune responses.

Genetic and hormonal determinants create sex-specific immune profiles that contribute to men’s higher susceptibility to infection, inflammatory conditions, and cancer, and women’s greater prevalence of autoimmune diseases.

Our Rationale

Understanding these immune-driven mechanisms alongside inherent sex differences is essential to advance research in liver disease pathogenesis.

Our Niche

At LISA, we address this unmet need by integrating specialised immunological methodologies, models, and analytical tools.

Building on Dr Riva’s past work, our dual mission is reflected in our name: while Liver Immunology and immunomodulation remain central to our work, biological Sex-Associated differences are an integral strategic area of investigation. With this systematic approach, we aim to generate more comprehensive insights into immune-mediated mechanisms driving liver disease, hoping to identify novel strategies for immunomodulation to restore a state of efficient and competent immunity in these patients.

Team

• Phoebe Tsou (Senior Research Assistant)
• Niyati Raj (Research Assistant)
• Wendy Fernandes (‘Roger Williams Legacy Programme’ PhD student)
• Caitlin Rore (‘Roger Williams Legacy Programme’ PhD student)
• Hannah Jones (‘Neuro-Immune Interactions in Health & Disease’ PhD student)
• Jagpreet Gill (KCL Immunology MSc student)