BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
METHOD:PUBLISH
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
PRODID:-//WordPress - MECv7.32.0//EN
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://cibm.ch/
X-WR-CALNAME:CIBM  |  Center for Biomedical Imaging
X-WR-CALDESC:
X-WR-TIMEZONE:Europe/Zurich
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:Europe/Zurich
X-LIC-LOCATION:Europe/Zurich
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:+0100
TZOFFSETTO:+0200
TZNAME:CEST
DTSTART:20260329T030000
RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=03;BYDAY=-1SU
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0200
TZOFFSETTO:+0100
TZNAME:CET
DTSTART:20261025T020000
RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=10;BYDAY=4SU
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
X-MS-OLK-FORCEINSPECTOROPEN:TRUE
BEGIN:VEVENT
CLASS:PUBLIC
UID:MEC-69a23c56e38a32ba6bd726d47e722e9f@cibm.ch
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Zurich:20260309T110000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Zurich:20260309T000000
DTSTAMP:20260209T141414Z
CREATED:20260209
LAST-MODIFIED:20260224
PRIORITY:5
SEQUENCE:0
TRANSP:OPAQUE
SUMMARY:Visitors Talk: Anna Hadjihambi, King’s College London
DESCRIPTION:Hosted by Cristina Cudalbu ( https://cibm.ch/community/cristina-cudalbu/ ), CIBM PCI EPFL Section Head, we are pleased  to invite you to attend the CIBM Visitors Talk on March 9th at 11:00 CET by Anna Hadjihambi from the King’s College London who will be sharing on “Mind over MASLD: The Liver–Brain Axis and Brain Dysfunction in Steatotic Liver Disease”.\nDate and time: Monday, March 9th, 2026 – 11:00 CET\nLocation:  CIBM seminar room, EPFL, Lausanne & online\n\nAnna Hadjihambi\nRoger Williams Institute of Liver Studies, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, Foundation for Liver Research and King’s College Hospital, London, UK.\nAbout the speaker\n\nDr Anna Hadjihambi obtained her BSc degree in Biochemistry from the University of Warwick in the UK and then completed her MSc degree in Neuroscience at UCL. Anna then received her PhD, funded by the prestigious Grand Challenges UCL, which was a collaboration between the departments of Liver and Digestive health and Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology. Her thesis was entitled “The Neurochemistry of Hepatic Encephalopathy” and involved experimental studies conducted in animal (rat) models of hepatic encephalopathy, in vivo, ex vivo and in vitro, in combination with pharmacological approaches. In 2018 Anna started her postdoctoral fellowship at UNIL, Switzerland. During this time, she investigated the effects of diet-induced steatotic liver disease on altering cerebral physiology, function, and metabolism, as well as the role of the monocarboxylate transporter-1 in protecting the liver from hepatic steatosis and the brain from any associated detrimental alterations.\nAnna is currently a team lead at The Roger Williams Institute of Liver Studies in London, where she initiated the Liver-Brain axis group. She has recently been awarded a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship to continue her investigations on the cerebral alterations arising due to steatotic liver disease, the possible mechanisms behind them, as well as the long-term effects of these conditions on the brain following resolution of liver disease.\nTALK: Mind over MASLD: The Liver–Brain Axis and Brain Dysfunction in Steatotic Liver Disease\nAbstract\nMetabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a chronic multisystem disease that affects ~30% of the general population and >80% of obese individuals. It is often accompanied by cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer, contributing to a global health crisis of multimorbidity. Whilst hepatic encephalopathy is strongly associated with advanced liver disease, recent evidence suggests that neurocognitive impairment and accelerated brain ageing also occur in earlier stages of MASLD. However, the mechanisms underlying the associated cerebral alterations, or whether they can be reversed following disease resolution, are largely unknown.\nIn this talk, I will present preliminary data from male C57BL/6NTac mice fed a control diet (CD) or a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet (HFHC) for 26 weeks to induce MASLD. Half of the mice in each group were then switched to a low-fat diet (LFD) until 18 months of age to evaluate the additional impact of ageing, as well as the potential of this dietary intervention as a neuroprotective approach. However, liver histology indicated that the LFD did not achieve liver disease reversal when accompanied by ageing. Both HFHC and aged HFHC-LFD mice exhibited anxiety-like behaviour, while aged CD-LFD and HFHC-LFD mice showed memory impairment. HFHC, aged HFHC-LFD, and CD-LFD mice had lower partial pressure of oxygen and reduced brain tissue oxygen saturation at baseline, monitored under anaesthesia by a fluorescence method and optoacoustic tomography, respectively. However, cerebrovascular reactivity in response to systemic hypercapnia (10% CO₂) was maintained. Decreased cortical vascular density was observed in HFHC and aged HFHC-LFD mice, while vascular diameter was reduced in all groups compared to CD. HFHC and aged HFHC-LFD mice had increased cortical microglial density, coverage, and volume, indicating reactivity.\nThese data suggest that reduced brain tissue oxygenation and increased inflammation are potential contributors to MASLD-induced brain dysfunction. As the LFD did not reverse MASLD or the associated brain alterations in ageing mice, alternative dietary interventions that achieve liver disease resolution, as well as mechanisms acting on the liver–brain axis (including liver disease–induced autonomic dysfunction), are currently being investigated. This work will increase our understanding of the long-term effects that may persist in the brain even after liver disease resolution, as well as the impact of MASLD on the natural ageing process.\nSeminar Chair\n\nCristina Cudalbu\nHead CIBM Pre-CIinical Imaging EPFL Metabolic Imaging Section\nClick here to know more about Cristina ( https://cibm.ch/community/cristina-cudalbu/ )\nJOIN US ON SITE!\n\nYou are welcome to join us on site at the CIBM seminar room, EPFL, Lausanne. \nThe event is for free and registration is not required.\nOR REMOTELY\nTo join us remotely please,  register at the following Zoom link:\nhttps://epfl.zoom.us/meeting/register/d5a9vjlLTUikwYFrjs6R6Q\nZoom Code: 657 9911 3997\nWe look forward to seeing you there!\n
URL:https://cibm.ch/event/visitors-talk-anna-hadjihambi-kings-college-london/
CATEGORIES:Talk,Visitor's talk
LOCATION:CIBM seminar room, EPFL, Lausanne & online
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR