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Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Research
Ongoing laboratory research in the Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition includes investigations of cell signaling and oxidative stress as mechanisms of cell injury in the cholestatic liver, the role of antioxidants in hepatic injury prevention, immunopathogenesis of biliary atresia in a mouse model, regulation of bile flow in patients with cystic fibrosis, hepatic injury resulting from intravenous nutrition and its prevention and regulation of hepatic amino acid and folate metabolism.
Clinical research includes evaluation of new therapies for hepatitis B and C, evaluation of the genetics and therapy of celiac disease, development of new therapies for fibrotic and cholestatic liver diseases, investigation of bone mineral metabolism in chronic liver disease, investigation of the etiology and pathogenesis of biliary atresia, study of the cause and improved treatment of acute liver failure in children, diagnosis and treatment of liver disease associated with cystic fibrosis, new treatments for inflammatory bowel disease, evaluation of outcomes of pediatric liver transplant recipients, and a longitudinal study of intrahepatic cholestatic liver diseases in childhood.
Dr. Glenn Furuta’s research seeks to understand roles of eosinophils in the gastrointestinal tract. Clinical research investigations focus on eosinophilic esophagitis. Basic and translational studies seek to determine the relationship between the eosinophils and resident cells of the intestinal mucosa, including the epithelium.
Dr. Edward Hoffenberg studies epidemiology and the clinical features of celiac autoimmunity in early childhood, inflammatory bowel disease and inherited polyposis syndromes.
Dr. Edwin Liu's work focuses on the study of autoimmunity in type 1 diabetes and celiac disease.
Dr. Cara Mack investigates biliary atresia in humans and a mouse model, examining whether the pathogenesis of biliary atresia involves a viral-induced, progressive autoreactive CD4+ Th1 cell-mediated destruction of bile ducts.
Dr. Michael Narkewicz's research interests include clinical studies in children with biliary atresia, treatment of chronic viral hepatitis, complications following pediatric liver transplantation and cystic fibrosis-associated liver disease.
Dr. Ron Sokol's major scientific interests include pediatric liver disease, with emphasis on biliary atresia and neonatal cholestatic hepatobiliary diseases; nutritional complications of the malabsorption syndrome, including the human vitamin E deficiency states; oxidative mechanisms of liver injury in cholestasis, copper toxicity and hepatic steatosis; regulation of mitochondrial dysfunction in hepatocellular necrosis and apoptosis; the use of antioxidants in human health and disease; and developing a severity of illness scoring system for acute liver failure.
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