The Gastrointestinal Eosinophil Research Program (GERP) performs novel research focusing on eosinophils’ impact on the gastrointestinal tract. Studies center on the mechanisms that eosinophils relate to resident cells of the intestinal tract and how these relationships contribute to host health and disease.

The GERP consists of two investigators and two postdoctoral fellows. Glenn T. Furuta, MD, is a physician-scientist whose work examines the role of eosinophil's GI function. Sophie Fillon, PhD, is an Instructor of Pediatrics with an expertise on innate defense mechanisms.

Vince Mukkada, MD, and Samantha Woodruff, MD, are pediatric gastroenterology fellows at The Children’s Hospital whose focus is on understanding the relationships between the eosinophil and the intestinal epithelium. Zachary Robinson, MS, is the laboratory coordinator who supervises the laboratory and participates in research projects.

The laboratory is currently located at the Biomedical Research Building (BRB) at Colorado Ave. and 9th Ave. in Denver, Colorado. In the fall, 2008, it will move to the Research Complex II at the Fitzsimmons Campus in Aurora, Colorado.

The GERP is a part of the Mucosal Inflammation Program (MIP) in the Gastroenterology Division at the University of Colorado Medical School that is directed by Sean P. Colgan, PhD. The MIP carries an overall theme of determining mechanisms of inflammation at a variety of mucosal surfaces including the GI tract and the lung. For more information, visit Dr. Colgan’s Research Lab.

Taken together, the Gastrointestinal Eosinophil Center and Mucosal Inflammation Program unite a unique blend of basic and clinical investigators. This integration of basic and clinical sciences and multidisciplinary approach fosters collaboration between key personnel from different Divisions of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center to provide outstanding patient care and novel research outcomes.