Our lab conducts innovated research among those with inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome.

What is inflammatory bowel disease?

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an umbrella term which encompasses ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. In IBD, individuals have damage to the lining of their intestinal tract. Crohn’s disease can influence any part of the gastrointestinal tract from the mouth to the anus and can affect any layer of the intestine wall. Ulcerative colitis is limited to the large intestine (the colon) and the rectum and it influences the inner lining of the intestine (creating ulcers). Both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis can cause a variety of symptoms including abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, urgency, and joint pain. IBD is typically managed with medications and/or surgery.

What is irritable bowel syndrome?

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder of gut-brain interaction. Despite much research, we still do not have a clear underlying pathophysiology; rather, IBS is likely a multifactorial disease impacted by gut neuroimmune activation, motility disturbances, heightened visceral sensation, and increased psychosocial distress. IBS is diagnosed using the Rome IV criteria which involves having recurrent abdominal pain for at least one day a week in the past three months and at least two of the following: related to defecation, associated with a change in stool frequency or stool form. There are four IBS subtypes based on predominant bowel patterns: IBS-diarrhea, IBS-constipation, IBS-mixed, and IBS-unclassified.

 

Our three research pillars