Selena Kuo
· MDUniversity of California, San Diego · Gastroenterology
Active 2006–2025
About
Selena Kuo is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at UC San Diego. Her research focuses on clinical experiences related to liver diseases, including primary biliary cholangitis, liver transplant outcomes, and cardiovascular risk assessment in patients with liver conditions and diabetes. She has contributed to studies on liver fat quantification, cardiovascular event prediction post-liver transplant, and the role of the liver microbiome in cancer prognosis. Her work also encompasses the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, including non-coding RNAs, microRNAs, and cancer stem cell biology. Additionally, she has investigated the impact of alcohol, cigarette smoke, and pharmacological agents on cancer progression and drug resistance. Her research integrates clinical data analysis, molecular biology, and bioinformatics to advance understanding of disease pathogenesis and potential therapeutic targets.
Research topics
- Medicine
- Internal medicine
- Machine Learning
- Artificial Intelligence
- Political Science
- Computer Science
- Virology
- Medical education
- Oncology
- Biology
- Family medicine
- Immunology
- Intensive care medicine
- Psychology
- Bioinformatics
- Cancer research
- Pathology
Selected publications
Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics · 2025-10-29
articleOpen access1st authorSeladelpar recently received accelerated FDA approval for the treatment of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) but there is limited knowledge regarding its efficacy in real-world clinical practice. This is a study of a cohort of adults with PBC who were started on seladelpar as second-line therapy between October 2024 and March 2025. Of the 18 patients, 11 were trialed on a second-line therapy prior to switching to seladelpar, whereas 7 of the patients started seladelpar as initial second-line therapy. Biochemical response was achieved in 56.3% of patients and normalisation of alkaline phosphatase levels in 31.3% of patients after 1 month of treatment. This study demonstrates the efficacy of seladelpar as a second-line agent in a real-world clinical setting.
Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics · 2023-10-26
editorialOpen access1st authorLINKED CONTENT This article is linked to Kuo et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17637 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17677
Letter: Are we forgetting the importance of steatosis in steatotic liver disease? Authors' reply
Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics · 2023-12-28
letterOpen access1st authorLINKED CONTENT This article is linked to Kuo et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17637 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17759
Gastroenterology · 2023-05-01
article1st authorCorrespondingAlimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics · 2023-07-11 · 24 citations
articleOpen access1st authorBACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). AIMS: To examine the clinical utility of liver fat quantification for determining CVD risk among a well-phenotyped cohort of patients with T2DM. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional analysis of a prospective cohort of adults aged ≥50 with T2DM. Liver fat was quantified with magnetic resonance imaging proton-density-fat-fraction (MRI-PDFF), an advanced imaging-based biomarker. Patients were stratified into a higher liver fat group (MRI-PDFF ≥ 14.6%), and a lower liver fat group (MRI-PDFF < 14.6%). The co-primary outcomes were CVD risk determined by Framingham and Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD) risk scores. High CVD risk was defined by risk scores ≥20%. RESULTS: , respectively. In multivariable analysis, adjusted for age, gender, race, and BMI, patients in the higher liver fat group had higher CVD risk [OR = 4.04 (95% CI: 2.07-7.88, p < 0.0001)] and ASCVD risk score [OR = 2.85 (95% CI: 1.19-6.83, p = 0.018)], respectively. CONCLUSION: Higher liver fat content increases CVD risk independently of age, gender, ethnicity and BMI. These findings raise the question whether liver fat quantification should be incorporated into risk calculators to further stratify those with higher CVD risk.
Liver Transplantation · 2023-09-29 · 1 citations
editorial1st authorDivision of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA Abbreviations: CAD, coronary artery disease; CAD-RADS, Coronary Artery Disease-Reporting and Data System; CTCA, computed tomography coronary angiography; MACE, major adverse cardiovascular events; MAFLD, metabolic associated liver disease; MASH, metabolic dysfunction -associated steatohepatitis; PCI, percutaneous coronary intervention; TTE, transthoracic echocardiogram. Correspondence Monica Tincopa, UCSD Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 9350 Campus Point Drive, San Diego, CA 92037, USA. Email: [email protected]
Open MIND · 2022-01-01
datasetAdditional file 1.
BMC Medical Education · 2022 · 49 citations
- Political Science
- Medical education
- Psychology
BACKGROUND: The effects of drastic curricular changes necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic on medical students' education and wellbeing have remained largely unstudied. Out study aimed to characterize how medical students were affected by the pandemic, specifically how limitations introduced by the pandemic may have affected the quality, delivery, and experience of medical education. METHODS: Three hundred students from 5 U.S. allopathic medical schools were surveyed to determine students' perceptions about their quality of medical education, professional development, and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic (October 2020-December 2020). RESULTS: A large majority of students report that while lecture-based learning has not been significantly affected by the pandemic, small-group and clinical learning have greatly declined in quality. Students also reported higher levels of depression, anxiety, and uncertainty with regards to their futures as physicians. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected the medical student education and wellbeing. Although medical schools have implemented measures to continue to train medical students as effectively as they can, further strategies must be devised to ensure the well-being of students in the present and for future national emergencies.
Journal of Critical Care · 2021-01-21 · 17 citations
articleOpen access1st authorCorrespondingFailure to thrive in a man in his late forties
Journal of Clinical Pathology · 2021-12-08 · 1 citations
article
Frequent coauthors
- 31 shared
Weg M. Ongkeko
University of California, San Diego
- 19 shared
Jessica Wang‐Rodriguez
University of California, San Diego
- 13 shared
Wei Tse Li
University of California, San Francisco
- 12 shared
Jaideep Chakladar
VA San Diego Healthcare System
- 11 shared
Thomas K. Honda
University of California, San Diego
- 11 shared
Michael Yu
Moffitt Cancer Center
- 9 shared
Hao Zheng
Nanchang University
- 9 shared
Elham Rahimy
Labs
UCSD Department of MedicinePI
Education
- 2008
Ph.D., Microbiology and Immunology
University of California, San Diego
- 2003
M.S., Microbiology and Immunology
University of California, San Diego
- 2001
B.S., Microbiology and Immunology
University of California, San Diego
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