AGA - American Gastroenterological Association Inc.
07/22/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 07/22/2024 13:44
Meet our 2024 AGA Research Scholar Award recipients
The AGA Research Foundation isthrilled to add six exceptional early career investigators to our list of AGA Research Scholar Award recipients - a prestigious group of investigators who have been able to jumpstart their independent research careers with this funding. Meet our recipients and learn more about their research projects below.
Karen Jane Dunbar, PhD
Columbia University, New York
Project: Understanding how the surrounding environment influences fibroblast behavior in Barrett's Esophagus and esophageal cancer
Dr. Dunbar is intrigued by the prospect of pinpointing and targeting specific types of cells in the body that contribute to cancer growth. Her research focuses on understanding how these cells, known as cancer-associated fibroblasts, develop and promote cancer progression in esophageal adenocarcinoma. By uncovering these biological mechanisms, she aims to identifypotential targets for new therapies. This work could lead to better ways to screen for and treat precancerous conditions, potentially improving outcomes for patients at risk.
Aaron Hecht MD, PhD
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Project: Lac operon-dependent metabolism in Enterobacteriaceae and its role in liver disease-associated infections
Dr. Hecht's research investigates the impact of diet on the risk of colonization and dissemination of bacterial pathogens in the gut microbiota.Bacterial infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality for patients with cirrhosis, but the underlying risk factors are not well defined. He hopes that by defining the mechanisms of these infections, we can better predict those who are at risk and generate novel therapeutics to prevent it.
Sarah Maxwell, MD
University of California, San Francisco
Project: Improving diet quality in children with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) through fruit/vegetable voucher interventions
As a pediatric gastroenterologist, Dr. Maxwell plans to identifymechanisms that might mitigate the progression of pediatric metabolic dysfunction-associated steatoticliver disease (MASLD) tometabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). She hypothesizes that access to fruitsand vegetables could mitigate the impact of food insecurity on MASLD severity, possibly preventingfurther progression of the disease to MASH. For adults with MASLD, food insecurity is associated with poor diet quality - which may exacerbatetheir metabolic morbidity. While the mechanisms underlying this relationship are yet to be fully understood, there is no research to date on this specific area. She hopes her work will lead to mitigatingthe impact of food insecurity on MASLD severity and metabolic health in children with food insecurity.
Chung Sang Tse, MD
University of Pennsylvania
Project: Exploring multiple self-help interventions to promote self-efficacy and overcome disability
Dr. Tse'sresearch focuses on interventions to address psychosocial factors contributing to the non-inflammatory disease burden in IBD. She hopesthat her research will inform an implementable, scalableand effective holistic approachto address psychosocial factors that contribute as non-inflammatory drivers of IBD-related disability for patients in routine clinical practice.
Jason (Yanjia) Zhang, MD, PhD
Boston Children's Hospital
Project: Enteroendocrine cell activation by the gut microbiome
The gut microbiome may be affecting what you eat and how much, and Dr. Zhang's research aims to figure out how. There are many examples of microbes controlling some aspect of behavior in their hosts. Dr. Zhang believes that the gut microbiome plays a role in shaping our eating habits and is pursuing evidence that suggeststhere may be a key bacteriathat controls our sense of fullness. He has already found that children and adolescents with obesity and with loss of control eating have relatively lowamounts of this bacteria. This bacteriamay have the ability to help patients feel fuller, eat healthier and fight obesity.
Joseph R Burclaff, PhD
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Project: Defining transcriptional network control of mitochondrial metabolism in human intestinal stem cells
Dr. Burclaff'sresearch examineshow transcription factors in intestinal stem cells controlcell cycle and metabolism. He studieshow these changes impactstem cell behaviorand how they might contribute to disease. Hisproject aims to pinpoint keytranscription factors involvedin early stagesof IBD.This could pave the way for clinical trials testing new or repurposed therapies for treating or preventing IBD.