Episode 11 Dr. Joan Clària “SPMs in Liver Disease & Obesity: Resolution Biology from Adipose Tissue to Cirrhosis"

Episode 11 Dr. Joan Clària

In this episode we welcome Professor Dr. Joan Clària, a leading voice in inflammation resolution biology and one of the pioneers exploring how the body actively resolves inflammation through lipid mediators.

We discuss his career path from clinical biochemistry at Hospital Clínic Barcelona to postdoctoral work with Charles Serhan, his foundational research on SPMs in liver disease and obesity, the role of resolution deficits in adipose tissue inflammation and metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD/MASH), and the translational potential of SPMs, omega-3 precursors, and stable analogs.

Key themes include the unique clinical-biochemical perspective he brings to SPM biology, the importance of on-site SPM production in tissues, challenges in reversing established fibrosis, the need for more research on SPMs and adaptive immunity, and the future of resolution pharmacology for chronic metabolic and liver conditions.

Key Topics • Early interest in mechanisms and clinical biochemistry training • Postdoctoral work with Charles Serhan (1992–1995) and discovery of aspirin-triggered lipoxins • Establishing a lab focused on lipid mediators in liver disease • First demonstrations of SPM deficits in obese adipose tissue and links to hepatic steatosis • Macrophage polarization, crown-like structures, and unresolved inflammation in obesity • SPMs, efferocytosis (including maresin 1 and Kupffer cells), and infection susceptibility in cirrhosis • Limitations of SPMs for established fibrosis and emphasis on prevention • Adaptive immunity, B-cell responses, and lessons from COVID-era observations • Current supplements vs. future stable analogs and receptor-targeted approaches • Personal life, family farm, and return to acute-on-chronic liver failure research

About the Guest Professor Joan Clària is Professor at the University of Barcelona and Group Leader of the Inflammation and Liver Disease research group at IDIBAPS, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona. A clinical biochemist by training with extensive translational experience, he has published widely on pro-resolving mediators in liver disease, obesity, and metabolic inflammation and is a highly cited researcher in the field of inflammation resolution.