Background
The gastrointestinal mucosa is a complex tissue comprised of varying epithelial subsets, immune cells, stoma cells and neurons. Its ability to regenerate itself after significant damage is a fascinating area of study. Our research group seeks to understand just how the intestinal mucosa repairs itself . We utilize transgenic mice, human and rodent primary cells, including organoids, to explore the pathways and diverse cell lineages that work together to regenerate the mucosa. We focus on injury models that include chemical induced colitis, infectious colitis and cancer. Our ultimate goal is to define how cell specific pathways function and the ways in which their dysfunction contribute to human disease such as inflammatory bowel disease and cancer.