# Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network (NASH CRN)

> **NIH NIH U01** · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $295,083

## Abstract

The epidemic of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) will not be constrained without collaborative efforts to
identify, prevent, and treat the factors that drive NASH pathogenesis and progression in humans. To address
this challenge the NIDDK established the NASH Clinical Research Network (NASH CRN), a consortium devoted
to advancing clinical and translational science pertinent to adult and pediatric NASH. The CRN is widely
considered to be a leader in the NASH field because it has developed the world’s largest, best-characterized,
and longest prospectively-followed cohort of adult and pediatric NASH patients and done several definitive
prospective randomized placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) in NASH subjects. Moving forward, the CRN will
leverage information generated by this work to advance development of diagnostic tests, biomarkers of disease
progression, and safe, cost-effective treatments for NASH. This competitive renewal application from the
Duke/Lurie Children’s Hospital site details our site’s plans for the work that we will accomplish during the next
funding cycle as CRN members. In addition to our detailed approach to ensure success of all CRN activities
(Aim 1), we further propose a new multi-center RCT evaluating atorvastatin as a generic “repurposed” drug for
the treatment of NASH (Aim 2) and related translational science to provide mechanistic information about how
statins impact NASH (Aim 3). The latter two projects are natural extensions of our earlier CRN studies which
demonstrated the importance of Hedgehog, a lipid-regulated signaling pathway, in determining progression of
NASH and NASH-related fibrosis. Accomplishment of these Aims will advance NASH CRN missions by further
delineating NASH natural history and identifying novel interventions that safely and cost-effectively prevent and
treat NASH.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10451686
- **Project number:** 5U01DK061713-21
- **Recipient organization:** DUKE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** ANNA MAE ELIZABETH DIEHL
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $295,083
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2002-05-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10451686

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10451686, Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network (NASH CRN) (5U01DK061713-21). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-14 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10451686. Licensed CC0.

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