Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic liver disease characterized by progressive destruction of intra-hepatic bile ducts associated with immune dysregulation.

Although the adaptive immune response has long been involved in PBC pathogenesis, increasing evidence suggests that also innate immune cells may play an active role in the disease. In particular, natural killer (NK) cells are increased in the liver of PBC patients and could play a role in the destruction of biliary epithelial cells (BECs).

In this project, we aim to investigate the pathogenic role of NK cells and characterize the mechanisms of NK cell-mediated BEC destruction in PBC, taking advantage of multicolor flow cytometry and NGS techniques.