Keck School of Medicine · USC · Division of Gastrointestinal & Liver Diseases
We investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying drug-induced liver injury, immune-mediated liver injury from checkpoint inhibitors, and autoimmune liver diseases, translating mechanistic discoveries into improved outcomes for patients.
Research Focus
We investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying drug-induced liver injury, immune-mediated liver injury from checkpoint inhibitors, and autoimmune liver diseases such as Autoimmune Hepatitis (AIH) and Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC). Our research spans fundamental studies of cell death pathways, immune activation, and the loss of immune tolerance, with the goal of translating mechanistic discoveries into improved understanding of disease pathogenesis, clinical outcomes, and therapeutic strategies for patients.
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Principal Investigator
Lily Dara, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases
USC Research Center for Liver Disease
Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California
Director, USC SOLAR Clinic (Southern California Liver Autoimmune and Rare Conditions)
USC Pasadena Medical Office Building
Lily Dara is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California. She is an NIH-funded physician-scientist, practicing hepatologist, and Director of the USC SOLAR Clinic (Southern California Liver Autoimmune and Rare Conditions) in the USC Pasadena Medical Office Building.
She received her medical degree from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, completed Internal Medicine residency at Griffin Hospital (Yale affiliate), and Gastroenterology fellowship at USC. During fellowship, she joined the laboratory of Dr. Neil Kaplowitz, where she studied signaling mechanisms and cell death subroutines in acetaminophen-induced acute liver injury, work that formed the foundation of her independent research program. She started her own laboratory after receiving a Mentored Clinical Investigator Career Award (K08) from the NIDDK in 2016.
Her current R01-funded research focuses on the mechanisms of liver injury from immune checkpoint inhibitors, with a particular interest in how cell death pathways and sex differences shape hepatotoxicity from cancer immunotherapy. She is also PI for the DILIN USC site. Dr. Dara is the past Chair of the AASLD Hepatotoxicity Special Interest Group, serves on the NIH LiverTox Expert Review Committee, and is the current Vice Chair of the AASLD Cholestatic and Autoimmune Liver Disease Special Interest Group. She serves on multiple editorial boards and study sections.
Active Funding
Elucidating mechanistic pathways, the interaction of cell death subroutines, and the role of estrogen in driving sex differences in immune-mediated liver injury from immunotherapy.
PI: Lily Dara · 09/2025 – 07/2030
USC site of the national NIH Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network, enrolling patients with DILI and immune-mediated liver injury for mechanistic and translational studies.
PI: Lily Dara · 09/2023 – 07/2028
Investigating the innate and adaptive immune mechanisms underlying immune checkpoint inhibitor hepatotoxicity in mouse models and human translational samples.
PI: Lily Dara · 07/2025 – 06/2026
Selected Publications
Alkaline Phosphatase Normalization Occurs Less Frequently in Hispanic Patients With Primary Biliary Cholangitis
Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2026 Jan 29:S1542-3565(26)00046-7
High Grade Hepatotoxicity From Dual Checkpoint Inhibitors Is More Common in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Than Other Cancers
Liver International 2025;45(9):e70255 · PMID: 40778804
Innate and Adaptive Immune Cell Interaction Drives Inflammasome Activation and Hepatocyte Apoptosis in Murine Liver Injury from Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Senior Author
Cell Death & Disease 2024 Feb 14;15(2):140 · PMID: 38355725 → PMC
Genetic Variants Associated with Immune-Mediated Liver Injury from Checkpoint Inhibitors
Hepatology Communications 2024 Aug 26;8(9):e0518 · PMID: 39185906 → PMC
Interaction of RIPK1 and A20 Modulates MAPK Signaling in Murine Acetaminophen Toxicity Senior Author
Journal of Biological Chemistry 2021 Jan 15;296:100300 · PMID: 33460648 → PMC
We Are Not Immune: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Autoimmune Hepatitis and Primary Biliary Cholangitis
Hepatology 2021 Nov;74(5):2876–2887 · PMID: 34056734
IgG:IgM Ratios of Liver Plasma Cells Reveal Similar Phenotypes of Primary Biliary Cholangitis With and Without Features of Autoimmune Hepatitis Senior Author
Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology 2019 · PMID: 31751773 → PMC
Receptor Interacting Protein Kinase 1 Mediates Murine Acetaminophen Toxicity Independent of the Necrosome and Not Through Necroptosis First Author
Hepatology 2015 Dec;62(6):1847–57 · PMID: 26077809 → PMC
The Team
Our lab brings together physician-scientists, postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and clinical research coordinators united by a shared curiosity about how the liver responds to injury, and how we can use that understanding to help patients. We have mentored numerous undergraduates, medical students, residents, and fellows who have gone on to careers in academic hepatology and gastroenterology.
Current Members
| Name | Role | Research Interest | Fun Fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helia Alavifard | PhD Candidate, USC | Liver immunology | Never says no to a cup of coffee |
| Mahmoud Mohamed | IM Resident, USC (Post-doctoral Research Scholar) | DILI | Favorite color is blue |
| Aria Baktash | IM Resident, USC (Post-doctoral Fellow) | Liver immunology | You can leave the lab but the lab never leaves you! |
| Komal Sagar | Postdoctoral Researcher, USC | Tregs |
Open Positions
PhD candidates in Molecular Biology, Immunology, or related programs with interest in liver disease mechanisms.
Bench scientist with expertise in organoid models, mouse model experiments, immunology, and translational sample processing. Apply →
Alumni & Trainees
Postgraduate Mentorship
| Years | Name | Role at the Time | Current Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–2018 | Nima Motamedi | Fellow in Gastroenterology | Gastroenterologist, OR |
| 2016–2019 | Brian T. Lee | Fellow in Gastroenterology | Hepatologist, Hoag Hospital |
| 2017–2018 | Janet Kwok | Fellow in Gastroenterology | Faculty, UPMC |
| 2016–2019 | Yun Wang | Resident in Internal Medicine | Faculty, CSMC |
| 2017–2019 | Alex Yang | Resident in Internal Medicine | Faculty, UCSD |
| 2019–2025 | Layla Shojaie | Post-doctoral Research Scholar & IM Resident | GI Fellow, UCLA |
| 2020–2024 | Karam Ashouri | Resident in Internal Medicine | Oncology Fellow, FL |
| 2020–2023 | Niharika Mallepally | Fellow in Gastroenterology | Faculty, UCLA |
| 2022–2024 | Melanie Hundt | Fellow in Gastroenterology | Faculty, Montefiore Einstein |
| 2022–2025 | Elsie Ennin | Resident in Internal Medicine | GI Fellow, Stanford |
| 2022–2025 | Patrick Lee | Fellow in Gastroenterology | Hepatologist, Hoag Hospital |
| 2023–2026 | Jacob Bogdanov | Resident in Internal Medicine | GI Fellow, Brigham & Women's Hospital |
| 2023–2026 | Sean Dewberry | Resident in Internal Medicine | GI Fellow, UCSF |
| 2024–present | Paul Yoon | Resident in Internal Medicine | IM Resident |
| 2024–present | Adriana Shen | Resident in Internal Medicine | IM Resident |
| 2024–present | Aria Baktash | Post-doctoral Fellow | IM Resident |
| 2023–present | Mahmoud Mohamed | Post-doctoral Research Scholar & IM Resident | IM Resident |
| 2025–present | Simon Krakovsky | Resident in Internal Medicine | IM Resident |
| 2025–present | Andrew Cruz | Resident in Internal Medicine | IM Resident |
| 2025–present | Isabelle Obias | Resident in Internal Medicine | IM Resident |
Undergraduate, Graduate & Medical Student Mentorship
| Years | Name | Role at the Time |
|---|---|---|
| 2014–2018 | Katie Donovan | USC Undergraduate Pre-Med |
| 2015–2017 | Kayley Kowana | Polytechnic School / Summer Research |
| 2018–2019 | Alexandra Zarchy | High School Student / Summer Research |
| 2018–2019 | James Harding | Medical Student |
| 2018–2020 | Laura Solano | Research Assistant |
| 2019–2024 | Myra Ali | Medical Student |
| 2020–2022 | Vibha Kochanda | Undergraduate |
| 2020–2023 | Karam Ashouri | Medical Student |
| 2021–2024 | Paul Yoon | Medical Student |
| 2021–2024 | Maxwell Otiato | Medical Student |
| 2022–2023 | Jacob Bogdanov | Medical Student, Dean's Research Scholar Awardee |
| 2022–present | Sean Dewberry | Medical Student |
| 2022–present | Melissa Trieu | Medical Student |
| 2024–present | Tara Forouhar | Medical Student |
| 2024 | Phillip Shao | Alhambra High School / Summer Research |
| 2025 | Angelos Skandalis | South Pasadena High School / Summer Research |
| 2025–2026 | Lori Khemochian | USC Undergraduate Pre-Med |
Contact
We are actively seeking motivated postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and clinical research staff with backgrounds in molecular biology, immunology, non-animal models, organoids, and hepatology research.
Please send your CV and a brief statement of research interests to dara@usc.edu.
Support Our Work
Rare and autoimmune liver diseases, including autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cholangitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, rare and metabolic liver diseases, cholestatic liver diseases, and various forms of hepatotoxicity, remain difficult to treat, with limited targeted therapies available.
At Keck Medicine of USC, Dr. Lily Dara is working to change that through a translational research program focused on identifying the immune pathways driving disease and advancing more personalized care for patients with complex and rare liver conditions.
Philanthropic support helps accelerate this work and expand options for patients searching for answers.
Support This Work
DONATEFor more information or to discuss a gift, please contact:
Grant Hoover Director of Development, Keck Medicine of USC