Jacob George

Biography

Professor Jacob George is a renowned hepatologist and liver research scientist who studies the causes of and mechanisms for the development of liver disease and liver cancer. He contributes to investigator-initiated and multicentre international clinical trials on therapeutics for liver diseases, and leads a program of research on viral hepatitis, fatty liver disease, liver fibrosis, host genetics/liver immunology and the epidemiology, prevention and management of liver cancer. His research has a strong translational component, linking laboratory and clinical research. Professor George’s work has made significant contributions to clinical practice. His team first identified the role of interferon lambda 3 gene polymorphisms for predicting treatment response in chronic hepatitis C, and a second gene polymorphism that interacts with interferon lambda 3. These discoveries are considered major advances in the field and the finest examples of ‘personalised medicine’. Professor George was an author on the groundbreaking study of combination telaprevir, pegylated interferon and ribavirin therapy for hepatitis C, which changed the landscape of hepatitis C treatments, heralding the era of direct-acting antivirals. His work identifying insulin resistance as the universal underlying pathophysiological abnormality in fatty liver disease underpins the majority of research on this condition and is the cornerstone of current therapy (lifestyle intervention; exercise; insulin-sensitising agents). He also first described the association between hepatitis C and insulin resistance. Professor George is an advisor to Hepatitis Australia, the Transfusion Related AIDS and Infectious Diseases Service, and at state and national levels, on viral hepatitis. He oversees research for the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of Liver. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease.

Research Interest

Professor George’s research broadly covers liver disease and cancer, with specific themes in the fields of viral hepatitis, liver cancer, fatty liver disease, hepatic drug metabolism, and the contribution of host genetics and immunology to liver disease, liver injury and fibrosis. He has particular interests in basic and clinical research on non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and on the role of host genetics in treatment response and disease progression in viral hepatitis.