Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Enteric Neuroscience and Visceral Pain

The defining theme in my research is the translation of fundamental knowledge to clinical solutions in neurogastroenterology, chronic inflammation and visceral pain. My laboratory focuses on exploring the molecular mechanisms of disorders of the enteric nervous system (the autonomous nervous system that controls gastrointestinal physiology) and visceral sensory nerves. A major emphasis is the neurobiology of visceral pain in chronic pancreatitis, irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia and has provided a framework for designing novel treatments for pancreatic, gastric and colonic pain including targeting PAR-2, TRPV1, Kv ion channels, neurotransmitters such as BDNF, CGRP and SP and growth factors such as NGF. We are also pursuing novel neurogenic mechanisms involved in visceral inflammation focusing on alcoholic pancreatitis. Another very important area in our laboratory is the study of enteric neural stem cells with respect to their identification, characterization and ultimate use for therapy. In recent years, my laboratory has also started exploring the gut-brain axis (including the role of enteric microflora) in response to the clinical challenges faced in the management of patients with functional bowel disease and psychological morbidities. Finally, I chair the NIH clinical consortium on gastroparesis (GPCRC), a multicenter study on patients with gastroparesis and related disorders.