Reben Raeman, MS, PhD

Biography

Dr. Raeman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology at the University of Pittsburgh and a core member of Pittsburgh Liver Research Center. Dr. Raeman earned his MS from Clemson University, PhD from the University of Georgia and completed his postdoctoral training at Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Raeman specializes in delineating the cellular and molecular mechanisms of chronic liver diseases, specifically focusing on the role of gut-liver-immune axis in chronic liver disease progression. The current research in Dr. Raeman's lab focuses on the role of host and gut microbial factors contributing to the maintenance of liver homeostasis and their role in the pathophysiology of chronic liver diseases. Dr. Raeman's group has made significant contributions in elucidating the role of the gut-liver-immune axis in the progression of MASLD with their findings establishing that gut microbial antigens are among the primary drivers of hepatic inflammation and fibrosis in MASLD. This work underscores the importance of diet-induced gut dysbiosis, immune dysfunction, mucosal inflammation, and subsequent disruption of the intestinal barrier in promoting liver injury. Work from Dr. Raeman's laboratory investigating the pathophysiology of MASH revealed that dysbiotic gut microbiota promote the recruitment of immune cells to the gut and liver and is mediated by the integrin receptor α4β7. Their findings show that blockade of integrin α4β7 or MAdCAM-1 may represent a novel treatment for NASH . Findings from the lab also demonstrate a role of bile acids in promoting intestinal barrier dysfunction in NAFLD. Raeman lab is currently funded by multiple grants from NIH and private foundations to further understand the role of intestinal epithelial barrier, microbiota, bile acids and immune cells in promoting chronic liver disease progression.