Lab Research Projects

Mechanisms of Intestinal Fibrosis
This project, sponsored by the NIH, is designed to better understand why people with Crohn's develop intestinal scarring. We started with myofibroblast cells from human intestines (the CCD-18co cell line) and showed that treating them with transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFb1, often present near Crohn's strictures) makes them more fibrogenic (scar-generating). We found that this change to a more fibrogenic state could be prevented with an anti-fibrotic medication named spironolactone. We are investigating how spironolactone can effect the downstream signaling of TGFb1. We are also testing rat and mouse models of intestinal scarring, to develop ways to test whether spironolactone and other candidate anti-fibrotic medications can slow the progress or even reverse intestinal scarring (fibrosis).

Laboratory Technician

Laura Johnson