Principal Investigator: Wenjun Kou, PhD, Research Assistant Professor of Medicine (Gastroenterology and Hepatology), Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine Many serious esophageal motility disorders and diseases are diagnosed with the newer technology of High-Resolution Impedance Manometry (HRIM). HRIM measures pressures and fluid movement in the esophagus and lower esophageal sphincter connecting to the stomach. Dr. Kou’s team is transforming an HRIM-based analysis technique into new tools with metrics/outcomes for use by physicians in clinical practice. Taking HRIM analytics a step further offers more specific evaluation of esophageal function. The esophageal metrics being studied include bolus retention; intrabolus pressure (IBP) and distensibility of the esophageal body at each phase; pressure and distensibility of esophagogastric junction (EGJ) as well as emptying flow rate. Dr. Kou’s research study involves: 1) designing and implementing metrics-based algorithms to analyze esophageal function; and 2) deriving a metrics dataset from HRIM studies of various tissue/cellular phenotypes. The research team will then use complex statistical analysis and the new field of ‘machine learning’ to evaluate the discriminating power (usefulness) of the metrics, and derive classification models of esophageal function for use in diagnosing esophageal diseases. Dr. Kou will conduct a further comparison of those results with similar outcomes from panometry—another recently developed technology used in esophageal evaluations. Using these high-level tools to develop precise metrics and advanced classifications in esophageal diseases ultimately improves physicians’ ability to diagnose and treat esophageal diseases as accurately and quickly as possible, minimizing the long-term effects of these potentially debilitating and life-threatening...
Principal Investigator: Ronen Sumagin, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pathology (Experimental Pathology), Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine When conventional medications, such as corticosteroids or 5-aminosalicylates, fail to work in IBD patients, biologics that block a critical inflammatory molecule called tumor-necrosis-factor alpha (TNFα) are commonly prescribed. However, one third of patients receive no relief from these biologic drugs, and other patients become resistant to the therapy over time, forcing physicians to pursue other avenues of treatment for their patients. In previous work, the Sumagin lab and other researchers established the important role of immune cells, called neutrophils, in IBD. Recent studies revealed that in inflamed tissue there are diverse neutrophil populations with distinct functions. With the DHF grant, Dr. Sumagin is using innovative single-cell sequencing to map neutrophil diversity in IBD. His research team seeks to determine whether specific neutrophil subtype(s) dictate resistance to anti-TNFα therapy. This effort offers great promise for unraveling new disease processes and identifying predictive biomarkers of treatment outcomes or drug targets to prevent anti-TNFα resistance in IBD patients. Physicians could then predict ahead of time which drugs may work for their patients living with IBD. This valuable insight could potentially decrease symptom or disease flares, as a result of drug inefficacy or resistance, in the long-term treatment of...
Principal Investigator: Sarah Taylor, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition), Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine Gestational alloimmune liver disease (GALD) is the leading cause of liver failure in newborns. This disease occurs when maternal antibodies injure the liver of the fetus during pregnancy. Infants with GALD require prompt diagnosis and treatment at birth. Even with treatment, about 50% of infants with GALD do not survive. Quickly obtaining a precise and reliable diagnosis remains challenging. DHF’s grant is enabling Dr. Taylor’s lab to create histologic scoring criteria that can be easily disseminated to enable prompt and reliable diagnosis of GALD. Evaluating the ribonucleic acid (RNA) of livers from affected patients, the Taylor team hopes to identify new blood tests that will differentiate GALD from other causes of neonatal liver failure. Dr. Taylor’s research is fostering a better understanding of GALD’s disease process to help launch future research and the development of life-saving therapies for newborns facing this potentially deadly...
