College of Medicine
UNMC_Acronym_Vert_sm_4c
University of Nebraska Medical Center

James Ahodantin, Msc, PhD

Assistant Professor

James Ahodantin, Msc, PhD

Research Interests

My research focuses on how viral infections and metabolic dysfunction drive chronic liver disease. My lab investigates the interactions among HBV, HIV, metabolic stress, and alcohol exposure in the development of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We use advanced in vitro systems and mouse models to define the roles of innate immune cells—particularly plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) and macrophages—in regulating inflammation, fibrosis, and liver cancer. Our long-term goal is to identify immune and metabolic pathways that can be targeted to prevent or reverse chronic liver disease progression.

 

Ongoing Projects
  • Mechanisms of HEPLISAV-B Treatment to Overcome HBV-Induced Immune Tolerance
  • Role of Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells in Autoimmune Hepatitis
  • Immunomodulatory Role of lipids and Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells in MASH and HCC
  • Effect of Alcohol on HIV- and HBV-Induced Liver Disease

 

Funding

2025:

  • American Liver Foundation 2025-Pilot Research Award: Tolerogenic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells in Autoimmune Hepatitis.
  • UNMC Development Startup Package

2017               PhD in Viral Immunology

                        Sorbonne University School of Medicine, Paris, France.

2011               Master of Science in Infectious Diseases and Vaccines

                        Université François-Rabelais School of Medicine, Tours, France.

2009               Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Biochemistry

                        Université François-Rabelais School of Medicine, Tours, France.

 

2025                AASLD 2025 Anna S. Lok Award, Washington DC, USA.

2024                AAI 2024 Minority Scientist Award, Chicago, USA.

2022                International HBV Meeting Travel Award, Paris, France.

2019                International HBV Meeting Travel Award, Melbourne, Australia.

                        Philippe Foundation France & USA Scholarship Award, North Carolina, USA.

2018                Philippe Foundation France & USA Scholarship Award, North Carolina, USA.

2017                International HBV Meeting Travel Award, Washington DC, USA.

2016                AFEF Meeting Travel Award, Bordeaux, France.

                        International HBV Meeting Travel Award, Seoul, South Korea.

2014                ANRS PhD Scholarship Award, Paris, France.

  1. Su L, Ahodantin J, Li G. “Targeting the pDC/IFN-I axis in HIV-1 immunotherapy”. Current Opinion in HIV and AIDS, 2025 Nov 20.
  2. Li G, Lou Y, Ma J, Cheng L, Yu H, Tsahouridis O, He X, Funaki M, Ahodantin J, Bi W, Chen J, Fan X, Sharaf S, Goonetilleke N, Jones RB, Kottilil S, Mathur P, Su L. “Depletion of plasmacytoid dendritic cells rescues HIV-reactive stem-like CD8+ T cells during chronic HIV-1 infection”. Science Translational Medecine, 2025 Nov 5;17(823):eadr3930.
  3. Spalding VA*, Fellenstein BA*, Ahodantin J, Jeyarajan AJ, Wang Y, Khan SK, Alatrakchi N, Lin W, Su L, Chung RT, Salloum S. “The YAP pathway mediates HIV-related liver fibrosis”, JHEP Reports, 2024 Jul 3;6(11):101163.
  4. Ahodantin J, Li F, Su L. “Modeling HBV Infection and Therapy in Immunodeficient NOD-Rag1-/-IL2RgammaC-null (NRG) Fumarylacetoacetate Hydrolase (FAH) Knockout Mice with Human Chimeric Liver”, Methods In Molecular Biology, 2024, Vol.2837, p.199-206.
  5. Ahodantin J, Wu J, Funaki M, Flores J, Wang X, Liu Y, Su L. “Siglec-H-/- plasmacytoid dendritic cells protects against acute liver injury by suppressing IFN-γ/Th1 response and promoting IL-21+ CD4 T cells”, Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 2024 Jun 5:101367.
  6. Liu Y, Zhou Y, Ahodantin J, Jin Y, Zhu J, Sun Z, Wu X, Su L, Yang Y. “Generation and characterization of mature hepatocyte organoids for liver metabolic studies”, Journal of Cell Science, 2024 May 15;137(10):jcs261961.
  7. Hogan G*, Winer BY*, Ahodantin J*, Sellau J, Huang T, Douam F, Funaki M, Chiriboga L, Su L, Ploss A. “Persistent hepatitis B virus and HIV coinfections in dually humanized mice engrafted with human liver and immune system”, Journal of Medical Virology, 2023 Jul;95(7):e28930.
  8. Ahodantin J, Nio K, Funaki M, Zhai X, Wilson E, Kottilil S, Cheng L, Li G, Su L. “Type I interferons and TGF-β cooperate to induce liver fibrosis during HIV-1 infection under antiretroviral therapy”, JCI Insights, 2022 May 31;e152738).
  9. Ahodantin J, Lekbaby B, Bou Nader M, Soussan P, Kremsdorf D. “Hepatitis B virus X protein enhances the development of liver fibrosis and the expression of genes associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transitions and tumor progenitor cells”, Carcinogenesis, 2020 May 14;41(3):358-367.
  10. Ahodantin J, Li F, Su L. “Modeling HBV infection and therapy in immunodeficient NOD-Rag1-/-IL2RgammaC-null (NRG) fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase (FAH) knockout mice with human chimeric liver”, ICE-HBV Protocol, 2019. https://ice-hbv.org/protocol/modeling-hbv-infection-and-therapy-in-immunodeficient-nod-rag1-il2rgammac-null-nrg-fumarylacetoacetate-hydrolase-fah-knockout-mice-with-human-chimeric-liver/
  11. Ahodantin J, Bou-Nader M, Cordier C., Mégret J, Soussan P, Desdouets C, Kremsdorf D. “Hepatitis B virus X protein mediates aberrant polyploidization in the liver and enhances hepatocellular carcinoma initiation”,Oncogene, 2019 Apr;38(14):2645-2657.
  12. Dusséaux M, Masse-Ranson G, Darche S., Ahodantin J, Li Y, Fiquet O, Beaumont E, Moreau P, Rivière L, Neuveut C, Soussan P, Roingeard P, Kremsdorf D, Di Santo JP, Strick-Marchand H. “Viral load affects the immune response to HBV in mice with humanized immune system and liver”, Gastroenterology, 2017 Dec;153(6):1647-166.
  13. Duriez M, Mandouri Y, Lekbaby B, Wang H, Schnuriger A, Redelsperger F, Guerrera CI, Lefevre M, Fauveau V, Ahodantin J., Quetier I, Chhuon C., Gourari S., Boissonnas A., Gill U, Kennedy P., Debzi N, Sitterlin D., Maini MK., Kremsdorf D., Soussan P. “Alternative splicing of hepatitis B virus: A novel virus/host interaction altering liver immunity”, Journal of Hepatology, 2017 Oct;67(4):687-699.
  14. Strick-Marchand H, Dusseaux M, Darche S, Huntington ND, Legrand N, Masse-Ranson G, Corcuff, Ahodantin J, Weijer K, Spits H., Kremsdorf, D., Di Santo, JP. “A novel mouse model for stable engraftment of a human immune system and human hepatocytes”, PLoS One, 2015 Mar 17;10(3):e0119820.
  15. Quetier I, Brezillon N, Revaud J, Ahodantin J, DaSilva L, Soussan P, Kremsdorf D “C-terminal-truncated hepatitis B virus X protein enhances the development of diethylnitrosamine-induced hepatocellular carcinogenesis”, Journal of General Virology, 2015 Mar;96(Pt 3):614-625.
  16. Pol JG, Lekbaby B, Redelsperger F, Klamer S, Mandouri Y, Ahodantin J, Bieche I, Lefevre M, Souque P, Charneau P, Gadessaud N, Kremsdorf D, Soussan P, “Alternative splicing-regulated protein of hepatitis B virus hacks the TNF-alpha-stimulated signaling pathways and limits the extent of liver inflammation”, Faseb Journal, 2015 May;29(5):1879-89.
  17. Quetier I, Brezillon N, Duriez, Massinet H, Giang E, Ahodantin J, Lamant C, Brunelle, MN, Soussan P, Kremsdorf D, “Hepatitis B virus HBx protein impairs liver regeneration through enhanced expression of IL-6 in transgenic mice”, Journal of Hepatology, 2013 Aug;59(2):285-91.

 

Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience
 
Durham Research Center I 3066
985800 Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE 68198-5800