Amar Nijagal, M.D. (he/him)
- Assistant Professor of Surgery
- Division of Pediatric Surgery
- UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, San Francisco
Contact Information
Education
1996-2000, Duke University, B.A. Philosophy
2000-06, University of California, San Francisco, M.D.
Residencies
- 2006-07, University of California, San Francisco, Intern, General Surgery
- 2007-13, University of California, San Francisco, Resident, General Surgery
- 2013-14, University of California, San Francisco, Chief Resident, General Surgery
Fellowships
- California Institute for Regenerative Medicine Clinical Fellow (2009-2012)
- 2014-16, Boston Children's Hospital, Fellow, Pediatric General and Thoracic Surgery
Biography
Amar Nijagal, M.D. is a pediatric surgeon in the UCSF Division of Pediatric Surgery. He completed his undergraduate degree at Duke University and obtained his MD from the University of CA, San Francisco School of Medicine (UCSF).
During his general surgery residency at UCSF, he spent three years researching immune responses to in utero stem cell transplantation. He completed his pediatric general and thoracic surgery fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital.
Awards & Honors
Award
Confired By
Date
Research Overview
Investigating How Immune Cells Regulate the Development and Repair of Fetal Organs
We study how immune cells may regulate the development and repair of fetal organs. Our research is currently focused on the development of the liver and bile ducts as the fetal liver is ripe with interactions between developing hepatocytes/cholangiocytes and the hematopoietic system. We are interested in identifying key relationships and interactions between immune cells and developing tissues in both the steady state and during fetal injury. Using advanced surgical techniques in mouse models, we are able to manipulate and induce injury in fetal organs. We have also employed "discovery" approaches to identify novel cell types and pathways that may serve as a link between the immune system and fetal development.
More at Nijagal Lab
Research & Funding
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ORCID iD: 0000-0003-2200-6887 
- Defining the role of tumor associated myeloid cells in pediatric hepatoblastomaSponsor: American Association for the Study of Liver DiseasesSponsor ID: N/AFunding Period:Jul 2021-Jun 2023PI
- The cooperative relationship between neutrophils and monocytes during neonatal liver inflammation: insight into the pathogenesis of biliary atresiaSponsor: Franklin H. Martin, MD, FACS Faculty Research Fellowship, American College of SurgeonsSponsor ID:Funding Period:Jul 2019-Jun 2021
- Single cell characterization and organoid development of pediatric choledochal cysts and hepatoblastoma to understand the link between liver development and hepatobiliary malignancySponsor: American Cancer SocietySponsor ID: IRG-17-180-19Funding Period:Feb 2020-Jan 2021
- The Role of Monocytes During the Resolution of Perinatal Liver InflammationSponsor: UCSF Liver CenterSponsor ID:Funding Period:Jun 2019-May 2020
- Investigating the Fetal Mechanisms of Liver and Bile Duct Repair: A Link to the Prenatal Origins of Biliary AtresiaSponsor: American Pediatric Surgical AssociationSponsor ID: N/AFunding Period:Jul 2018-Jun 2019PI
Publications
MOST RECENT PUBLICATIONS FROM A TOTAL OF 39
Data provided by UCSF Profiles, powered by CTSI
- Alkhani A, Korsholm C, Levy CS, Mohamedaly S, Duwaerts CC, Pietras EM, Nijagal A. Neonatal Hepatic Myeloid Progenitors Expand and Propagate Liver Injury in Mice. J Clin Med. 2023 Jan 01; 12(1). View in PubMed
- Mohamedaly S, Nijagal A. Advances in the Treatment of Neonatal Biliary Disease. Clin Perinatol. 2022 Dec; 49(4):981-993. View in PubMed
- Mohamedaly S, Levy CS, Korsholm C, Alkhani A, Rosenberg K, Ashouri JF, Nijagal A. Hepatic Ly6CLo Non-Classical Monocytes Have Increased Nr4a1 (Nur77) in Murine Biliary Atresia. J Clin Med. 2022 Sep 08; 11(18). View in PubMed
- Song H, Bucher S, Rosenberg K, Tsui M, Burhan D, Hoffman D, Cho SJ, Rangaswami A, Breese M, Leung S, Ventura MVP, Sweet-Cordero EA, Huang FW, Nijagal A, Wang B. Single-cell analysis of hepatoblastoma identifies tumor signatures that predict chemotherapy susceptibility using patient-specific tumor spheroids. Nat Commun. 2022 08 25; 13(1):4878. View in PubMed
- Kelley-Quon LI, Shue E, Burke RV, Smith C, Kling K, Mahdi E, Ourshalimian S, Fenlon M, Dellinger M, Shew SB, Lee J, Padilla B, Inge T, Roach J, Marwan AI, Russell KW, Ignacio R, Fialkowski E, Nijagal A, Im C, Azarow KS, Ostlie DJ, Wang K. The need for early Kasai portoenterostomy: a Western Pediatric Surgery Research Consortium study. Pediatr Surg Int. 2022 Feb; 38(2):193-199. View in PubMed
- View All Publications
In the News
- UCSF Department of Surgery - April 28, 2021We are pleased to announce that Amar Nijagal, MD has been selected for the AASLD CTORA Award (American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases Foundation) for his proposal & work focused on hepatoblastoma. The award provides Dr. Nijagal with $200K of funding for 2 years and is intended to fund his research project entitled "Defining the role of tumor associated myeloid cells in pediatric hepatoblastoma." This is a vital stepping stone for his lab & continuing science. For more [...]
- UCSF Nijagal Lab - - July 01, 2020Pediatric surgeon-scientist Amar Nijagal, M.D. has been awarded an American Cancer Society Individual Research Grant to study the crucial link between liver and bile duct development, and hepatobiliary cancers. The study is entitled: "Single cell characterization and organoid development of pediatric choledochal cysts and hepatoblastoma to understand the link between liver development and hepatobiliary malignancy." Project Summary Developmental abnormalities of the liver and bile ducts can [...]
- UCSF Nijagal Lab - - May 14, 2019Amar Nijagal, M.D., an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery, was awarded a Pilot/Feasibility Award from the UCSF Liver Center, of which he is now an associate member. An external advisory board comprised of leading liver scientists evaluated applications for this award. Dr. Nijagal's research proposal, "The Role of Monocytes on The Resolution of Perinatal Hepatic Inflammation", was among three chosen for this highly competitive award. Dr. Nijagal's laboratory focuses on perinatal [...]
- UCSF Nijagal Lab - - March 18, 2019Pediatric surgeon-scientist Amar Nijagal, M.D., Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Surgery, has been awarded the 29th Franklin H. Martin, MD, FACS Faculty Research Fellowship from the American College of Surgeons. His research will study the role of neutrophils and monocytes during the initiation and resolution of neonatal liver inflammation. Dr. Nijagal's laboratory is focused on the immune regulation of liver development and perinatal liver inflammation. Using an infectious [...]
- UCSF Pediatric Surgery - - May 14, 2018Amar Nijagal, M.D., assistant professor of Surgery in the Division of Pediatric Surgery, received the Jay Grosfeld MD Scholar Award from the American Pediatric Surgical Association Foundation (APSAF) at the 2018 APSA annual meeting. Dr. Nijagal was one of two junior faculty honored with the highly competitive award for his grant proposal, "Investigating the fetal mechanisms of liver and bile duct repair: a link to the prenatal origins of biliary atresia". The Department of Surgery is also [...]
- UCSF Pediatric Surgery - January 18, 2011UCSF News reports on fetal stem cell transplantation, taking healthy cells from the bone marrow of a donor, and transplanting them into the fetus through ultrasound-guided injections with the goal of having the implanted cells, or graft, replenish the patient's supply of healthy blood-forming cells. UCSF researchers have tackled a decade-long scientific conundrum, and their discovery is expected to lead to significant advances in using stem cells to treat genetic diseases before birth. [...]
