Biographical Info

Grace L. Guo, MBBS, PhD, FAASLD, is a Full Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy in the Rutgers University.  She is a member of the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Lipid Center, and Cancer Institute of New Jersey. She received a MBBS degree from the West China University of Medical Science (Now the West China Medical Center of Sichuan University), and a PhD degree in Toxicology with Dr. Curtis Klaassen from the University of Kansa Medical Center.  Her postdoctoral training was obtained from the NCI, NIH, with Dr. Frank Gonzalez.  Dr. Guo has been a faculty in the University of Kansas Medical Center from 2004 to 2012 and in Rutgers University since 2012.

For the last three decades, Dr. Guo has dedicated her research career on the molecular mechanisms of regulation of drug metabolism, bile acid signaling and toxicology by nuclear receptors, including FXR, PXR and CAR.  She made important discovery in determining the molecular mechanisms by which xenobiotic nuclear receptors regulate chemical disposition. She is one of the pioneer scientists discovering the importance of intestinal FXR and bile acid signaling in regulating liver functions and disease development.  Her lab has made several genetically modified mouse models to advance the understanding of human physiology, pathology, pharmacology and toxicology. She has been funded by the NIH and the VA for the last 20 years, published about 160 peer-reviewed papers, editorial, and book chapters in pharmacology, toxicology and hepatology areas, mentored many students and fellows, and served on the NIH and VA study sections.

Dr. Guo has been involved in professional societies to advance the field of Hepatology, gastroentorology, toxicology, and drug metabolism. She received several national and university Awards for her contribution in investigting the gut-liver axis, inclduing the Inaugural Presidential Outstanding Faculty Scholar Award at the Rutgers University (2021), the James R. Gillette Drug Metabolism and Disposition Best Paper (2023), and the Division for Toxicology Career Award, ASPET (2024).

Research Areas

The Guo lab focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying intestine-liver crosstalk through nuclear receptor signaling pathways, which are pivotal for regulating bile acids, lipid homeostasis, and chemical disposition. A significant area of study is the bile acids-farnesoid X receptor (FXR)-fibroblast growth factor 15/19 (FGF15/19) axis, a critical regulator of hepatic functions and associated pathologies.

Dr. Guo and her research team have pioneered insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which FXR operates in a tissue-specific manner to maintain bile acid homeostasis, particularly in the context of gut-liver interactions. Their work has implications for understanding and addressing non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), now called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), as well as the pathogenesis of liver and colon cancers and liver regeneration processes.

Dr. Guo’s research background is extensive, focusing on the functional characterization of bile acid signaling in hepatic diseases using animal models. Her expertise also covers lipid regulation, drug and toxin metabolism and transport, and their modulation by nuclear hormone receptors and cell signaling pathways. This comprehensive research contributes to a nuanced understanding of liver disease mechanisms and potential therapeutic avenues.

Scholarly Activities

2024                          ASPET Division of Toxicology Career Award

2023                          James R. Gillette Drug Metabolism and Disposition Best Paper of 2022 in the Drug Metabolism category, ASPET

2021                          Inaugural Presidential Outstanding Faculty Scholar Award, Rutgers University

2021                          Expertscape World Expert in Hepatocytes

2020                          Fellow of AASLD

Dr. Guo’s Google Scholar Citations

Recent Publications

1. Henry, ZR, Maliha, S, Basaly, V, Yang, Z, Taylor, RE, Otersen, K, Meadows, V, Rizzolo, D, Stofan, M, Bhattacharya, A et al.. Ursodeoxycholic acid acts as an ileal FXR agonist in male mice with hepatic deficiency of FXR. eGastroenterology. 2025;3 (3):e100227. doi: 10.1136/egastro-2025-100227. PubMed PMID:41036243 PubMed Central PMC12481312
2. Yasrebi, A, Rojas, CM, Anthony, S, Feltri, S, Evelyn, J, Wiersielis, K, Adams, S, Basaly, V, Guo, GL, Aleksunes, LM et al.. Dual Effects of Maternal Diet and Perinatal Organophosphate Flame Retardant Treatment on Offspring Development, Behavior and Metabolism. Toxics. 2025;13 (8):. doi: 10.3390/toxics13080639. PubMed PMID:40863915 PubMed Central PMC12390071
3. Shi, H, Stofan, M, Kong, B, Taylor, R, Henry, Z, Maliha, S, Rizzolo, D, Guo, GL. Fibroblast growth factor 15 overexpression and combined peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α activation attenuates metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis progression in mice. Drug Metab Dispos. 2025;53 (9):100128. doi: 10.1016/j.dmd.2025.100128. PubMed PMID:40815899 PubMed Central PMC12597547
4. Henry, ZR, Armstrong, L, Maliha, S, Jia, X, Gao, S, Taylor, RE, Basaly, V, Otersen, K, Yang, Z, Rizzolo, D et al.. Deletion of hepatic FXR leads to more severe MASH development in female mice. Hepatol Commun. 2025;9 (6):. doi: 10.1097/HC9.0000000000000693. PubMed PMID:40377496 PubMed Central PMC12088634
5. Basaly, V, Bhattacharya, A, Guo, GL. Insights of direct and indirect regulation of PXR through phosphorylation in fatty liver disease. Mol Pharmacol. 2025;107 (2):100014. doi: 10.1016/j.molpha.2024.100014. PubMed PMID:40023513
6. Yang, Z, Zarbl, H, Kong, B, Taylor, R, Black, K, Kipen, H, Basaly, V, Fang, M, Guo, GL. Liver-gut axis signaling regulates circadian energy metabolism in shift workers. FASEB J. 2024;38 (22):e70203. doi: 10.1096/fj.202402102R. PubMed PMID:39588921 PubMed Central PMC11590413
7. Taylor, R, Basaly, V, Kong, B, Yang, I, Brinker, AM, Capece, G, Bhattacharya, A, Henry, ZR, Otersen, K, Yang, Z et al.. Effects of therapeutically approved individual bile acids on the development of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis a low bile acid mouse model. Toxicol Sci. 2024;202 (2):179-195. doi: 10.1093/toxsci/kfae110. PubMed PMID:39302723 PubMed Central PMC12104526
8. Burchat, N, Vidola, J, Pfreundschuh, S, Sharma, P, Rizzolo, D, Guo, GL, Sampath, H. Intestinal Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase-1 Regulates Energy Balance via Alterations in Bile Acid Homeostasis. Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2024;18 (6):101403. doi: 10.1016/j.jcmgh.2024.101403. PubMed PMID:39278403 PubMed Central PMC11546130
9. Jin, J, Nguyen, LTG, Wassef, A, Sadek, R, Schmitt, TM, Guo, GL, Rasmussen, TP, Zhong, XB. Correlations of Long Noncoding RNA HNF4A-AS1 Alternative Transcripts with Liver Diseases and Drug Metabolism. Drug Metab Dispos. 2024;52 (11):1345-1355. doi: 10.1124/dmd.124.001873. PubMed PMID:39168525 PubMed Central PMC12164721
10. Chow, MD, Otersen, K, Wassef, A, Kong, B, Yamarthy, S, Rizzolo, D, Yang, I, Buckley, B, Lu, A, Crook, N et al.. Effects of intestine-specific deletion of FGF15 on the development of fatty liver disease with vertical sleeve gastrectomy. Hepatol Commun. 2024;8 (6):. doi: 10.1097/HC9.0000000000000444. PubMed PMID:38780301 PubMed Central PMC11124683