Principal Investigator: Marie-Pier Tétreault, PhD, Research Assistant Professor of Medicine (Gastroenterology and Hepatology), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD/acid reflux) affects over ¼ (up to 27 percent) of U.S. adults, resulting in more than 7 million patient visits annually. GERD leads to complications such as erosive esophagitis, Barrett’s esophagus and esophageal cancer. Learning more about the molecular basis for the development and progression of GERD is critical to improving treatment options and decreasing the risks for these esophageal conditions. Dr. Tetreault is looking at the role of the crucial mediator of inflammation IKKβ in the development of chronic GERD. The team will use molecular approaches to shut down the expression of IKKβ and evaluate the impact of this loss on the development of GERD. This project will also employ a new technology called single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) that enables the rapid determination of the precise gene expression patterns of tens of thousands of individual cells. Employing scRNA-seq should help give greater insight into how IKKβ signaling impacts the regulation of the inflammatory process in chronic gastroesophageal reflux. Interrupting the disease process of GERD can crucially impact long term patient prognosis and risk of...
Principal Investigator: Joshua Wechsler, MD, MS, Attending Physician, Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition; CURED (Campaign Urging Research for Eosinophilic Disease) Foundation Research Scholar, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition) and Medicine (Allergy and Immunology), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic immune disorder of the esophagus caused by certain foods triggering an allergic response, or by chronic GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease/acid reflux). Over time, chronic inflammation from EoE can lead to fibrosis (scarring) and subsequent esophageal stiffness and narrowing of the esophagus. Patients experience difficulty passing food and impaction when food becomes trapped in the esophagus. Identifying early signs and drivers of scarring would help prevent the development of these and other serious complications. Endoscopic Functional Luminal Impedance Probe (EndoFLIP) is used to measure esophageal distensibility (stiffness or stretchiness). Prior research has demonstrated that eosinophils—a type of immune cell—have a weak association with esophageal distensibility. While different types of immune cells play a role in EoE, the association of non-eosinophil immune cells has never been studied. Dr. Wechsler is examining the correlation between esophageal distensibility and non-eosinophil immune cell populations in children with EoE. The team expects this work will guide future studies on EndoFLIP, as well as how immune cells, such as mast cells and T-cells, impact esophageal fibrosis to help develop targeted treatments for EoE that can inhibit disease progression and its destructive effects on pediatric...
Principal Investigator: Tiffany Taft, PsyD, MIS, Research Associate Professor, Director of Psychogastroenterology Research, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Department of Medical Social Sciences Emerging research shows that changes in the body’s blood sugar or “glycemic variability” may worsen inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) symptoms such as nausea, bloating, and pain. Dr. Taft is first determining if glycemic variability is linked to symptom severity in patients with IBD and, secondly, identifying how the foods IBD patients eat affect their glycemic variability. Study participants will wear a continuous glucose monitor, like those worn by patients with diabetes, for 14 days to assess changes to their blood sugar levels. During this time period, participants will write down their daily IBD symptoms and complete a journal of what they ate and drank to detail their diets. The diet information from the food journals will be entered into a nutrition analysis software program to identify what, if any, aspects of the person’s diet affect their blood sugar, and how changes in blood sugar might affect their IBD symptoms. Understanding glycemic variably offers a novel approach to the diet puzzle for better managing IBD, improving patient symptoms and quality of...
Principal Investigator: Lisa B. VanWagner MD, MS, Assistant Professor of Medicine (Gastroenterology and Hepatology) and Preventive Medicine (Epidemiology) Cirrhosis of the liver affects millions of Americans and leads to increased and life-threatening pressure in the blood vessels of the liver. One of the core treatments for this potentially deadly complication is a procedure called “TIPS.” While effectively reducing pressure in the liver, TIPS can result in heart failure in at least 20% of patients. The ability to identify patients at risk for cardiac dysfunction would allow clinicians to put into place targeted prevention strategies before and after TIPS. With that aim in mind, the VanWagner team is evaluating new imaging methods of the heart and liver to better understand how TIPS alters liver hemodynamics and changes cardiovascular structure, function, and flow in patients with cirrhosis undergoing TIPS. Study findings could lead to interventions to prevent the development of heart failure in this at-risk patient population, so more patients facing liver cirrhosis could safely receive the TIPS treatment while reducing the associated risk of heart...
Principal Investigator: Tiffany Taft, PsyD, MIS, Research Associate Professor, Director of Psychogastroenterology Research, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Department of Medical Social Sciences Fatigue remains a major issue in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Many patients find it just as debilitating as abdominal pain or bowel control. Lacking reliable therapeutic options, clinicians grapple with how to adequately manage it. Dr. Taft believes heart rate variability (HRV)—the change in time intervals between each heartbeat—may play a role. The Taft team is studying the relationship between normal HRV changes and fatigue in patients with IBD, while considering the influence of other factors such as inflammation, mood, and sleep. The investigators will measure markers of inflammation, as well as common vitamin and mineral deficiencies in IBD patients via a phlebotomist blood draw at the start of the study. Participants will wear Fitbit devices to monitor their HRV continuously over two weeks. If a relationship exists between low HRV and fatigue, improving HRV via behavioral techniques, such as slow-breathing and other relaxation methods, has the potential to greatly improve outcomes and quality of life for IBD patients living with chronic fatigue as part of their...
