The frequency of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has risen worldwide in parallel with the obesity epidemic; however, there are still no approved therapies. The more advanced form of the disease, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), is associated with progressive fibrosis and an increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the last decade, genetic studies have identified new proteins that participate not only in the development of hepatic steatosis, but also disease progression to NASH, cirrhosis, and HCC. Meanwhile, research is starting to emerge describing underlying molecular pathways that mediate alterations in lipid and glucose metabolism, which leads to fat accumulation in liver. Therefore, the goals of this conference are to: 1) Explore the genetic contributions to NAFLD, and how these insights might reveal the sequence of events that cause NASH and cirrhosis; 2) Clarify the key molecular events in NAFLD and NASH, focusing on pathways that might provide therapeutic opportunities; and 3) Highlight emerging therapies for NASH. This conference comes at an opportunistic time, when several clinical trials are scheduled to conclude, providing critical data to enable scientists to refine research strategies for the future.

This new virtual meeting format came out of difficult circumstances, but your commitment to scientific progress is what inspired us to launch Keystone eSymposia. In these virtual meetings, we are capturing the same innovative essence of our in-person meetings that you've all created as a scientific community. Here, Debbie Johnson, our CEO, explains how we're going to do that.