Dr. Suchira Gallage received the GASL-Prize of the YAEL Foundation
Dr. Suchira Gallage has been honored with the prestigious GASL Prize of the YAEL Foundation for 2025, recognizing his groundbreaking research on the effects of a 5:2 intermittent fasting regimen in combating metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), fibrosis, and the progression to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Dr. Gallage shared this year’s prize with Dr. Moritz Peiseler at the Charité (Berlin) for his work on macrophage biology in the fibrotic liver. This annual award is presented by the German Association for the Study of the Liver (GASL) to young scientists who have made significant contributions to hepatology.
In his recent study, Dr. Gallage and co-authors demonstrated that a 5:2 intermittent fasting regimen—entailing five days of normal eating followed by two days of fasting—can prevent the onset of MASH, alleviate established MASH and fibrosis, and reduce the risk of progression to HCC, all without reducing overall calorie intake. The research identified that the benefits of this regimen are mediated through the activation of hepatic peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 (PCK1), which work together to execute the liver's response to fasting.
This discovery holds significant promise for developing non-pharmacological strategies to address chronic liver diseases and their progression to cancer, offering a potential new avenue for patient care and treatment.
Learn more about Dr. Gallages research focus: Lifestyle Interventions in Metabolic Diseases and Cancer