Important aspects on liver immunology from recent research are summarized in a series of review articles in this focused issue. Leading experts from the field share their current perspectives on “hot topics” in liver immunology with a focus on clinically relevant hepatic disease conditions. These include the disease-specific processing of initiating signals, cellular responders including stem cells, hepatic stellate cells and classical immune cells subsets, epigenetic factors like micro-RNA regulating cellular functions and soluble mediators triggering inflammation and tissue remodeling. Finally, the articles give an outlook on the translation of these cellular and molecular pathways into new clinical approaches to liver diseases.

This focused issue is available on: Part 1 and Part 2

Frank Tacke, MD, PhD. Department of Medicine III, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany

Ralf Weiskirchen, PhD. Institute of Molecular Pathobiochemistry, Experimental Gene Therapy and Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany