AGA-Aman Armaan Ahmed Family SURF for Success Program

Research: I lead a research program in the field of gastrointestinal (GI) epithelial cell and developmental biology. My lab uses cutting-edge organoid and animal models to delineate fundamental mechanisms involved in GI development, homeostasis, and disease. Our current projects focus on GATA transcription factors and their roles in normal GI development, metaplasia, and cancer. 

Project(s): An undergraduate student will participate in our studies of GATA4 function using human GI organoid models derived from normal, metaplastic, and malignant GI tissues. In addition to gaining experience in cutting edge organoid culture systems, the undergraduate will gain proficiency in molecular biology techniques including transcriptional profiling and chromatin immunoprecipitation.

Research: As a physician-scientist I am interested in discovering the cells and molecules involved in normal gut motor and sensory function, and how they are disrupted in disease, such as irritable bowel syndrome. Current efforts in the lab are focused on a sensory pathway we call “gut touch,” because this sensory circuit is very similar to the skin touch circuit. We use a range of cutting-edge techniques in enteric neuroscience that range from examinations of single molecules to studies in animals and humans.

Our group is a part of the Mayo Clinic’s Enteric Neuroscience Program (ENSP), which has a long and distinguished history in the field, and is composed of several labs, so there are always many interesting collaborations and discussions.

Project(s): We have several projects ongoing that we will tailor to the students’ needs and interests. These include microscopy approaches, (immunofluorescence, super-resolution microscopy), in vitro studies looking at cell and tissue function by electrophysiology and calcium imaging, and in vivo studies that ask what the gut touch system’s role is in gut physiology.

Website: https://www.mayo.edu/research/labs/gastrointestinal-mechanotransduction

Dr. Helen Burton Murray is a research scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA. She is the director of the GI Behavioral Health Program in the Center for Neuorintestinal Health and her research is focused on two areas—(1) behavioral health treatments for gastrointestinal (GI) conditions, particularly disorder of gut-brain interaction (formerly called functional GI disorders); and (2) the intersection of problematic eating behaviors and GI disorders (e.g., avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder).

Projects in Dr. Burton Murray’s lab include an NIH-funded research project that investigate biological and behavioral markers of problematic eating behaviors in patients with disorders of gut-brain interaction, and clinical trials of behavioral interventions for GI disorders (U01 DK112193; K23 DK131334). Undergraduate student trainees have been involved in all aspects of the research process, including study development, recruitment, assessment, data management, data analysis, and publication.

Website: https://www.massgeneral.org/neurointestinal-health-center

Research: Elucidating the Serotonin-Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Pathway: Unraveling Its Impact on Gut Disorders and the Gut-Brain Axis in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Project(s):

(1) Analyze interactions between serotonin and AhR pathways in gut disorders and the gut-brain axis.
(2) Study how disruptions in these pathways affect the microbiome and metabolomic profiles to assess potential intervention points or therapeutic targets.

Website: http://chicago.medicine.uic.edu/departments/academic-departments/medicine/gastroenterology-and-hepatology/research/labs/gill-lab/

Research: My research group focuses on gut sensation and motility disorders which are common medical problems that include gastroesophageal reflux disease, stomach pain, chronic nausea and vomiting, gastroparesis, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, cyclic vomiting syndrome and eating disorders. We strive to understand what the connections are between the brain and the gut that cause symptoms and how to cope with them. We also study gut physiology to understand what affects how the gut moves things from one place to the other, whether it be too slow or too fast. We have projects trying to understand the impact of these diseases in underserved communities. As a result, we work on the gut microbiome and metabolites, human physiology experiments with devices and MRI, database analysis/epidemiology/healthcare services research studies, and clinical trials.

Project(s): We have several faculty members as well as research coordinators and many trainees who would work as a team with the student. The research work for this program would be clinical/translational with patient data including data acquisition and clean up as well as analysis under our guidance. The goal would be to actively engage in the clinical research project with a topic and would hopefully lead to presentation of results and involvement in publications. We also have a specialized clinic taking care of patients which will provide opportunities to shadow and appreciate the challenges with these medical issues.

Website: https://www.massgeneral.org/neurointestinal-health-center/

Research: Dr. Levine’s research is focused on tri-molecular communication in the gastrointestinal tract among [1] the luminal microbiome, [2] the barrier epithelium, and [3] the immune cells in the underlying lamina propria.

Projects: Several projects are available to students and include:

1. Co-culture of primary cell derived human T lymphocytes with organoids of intestinal epithelial stem cells or fully differentiated epithelial cell monolayers.
2. Transcriptomic and bioinformatic analysis of changes in gene expression and molecular pathways induced by co-culture.
3. Modulation of normal cell-cell communication due to inflammatory bowel diseases.

Website: https://case.edu/medicine/microbio/our-people/alan-levine

Research: My research program is primarily focused on investigating the role of an interplay between diet and the gut microbiome in chronic inflammation and gastrointestinal inflammatory diseases using a multi-omic approach; exploring genetic factors that contribute to diverticular disease and their consequences, and evaluating how they interact with lifestyle factors in the context of diverticular disease; and integrating electronic health records and imaging data to predict outcomes in diverticulitis and other gastrointestinal diseases utilizing advance artificial intelligence techniques.

Projects: 

1. The impact of diet and lifestyle on the gut microbiome composition, metabolic activity, and diverticulitis. With the support of the AGA Research Scholar Award, we are expanding investigations into diverticulitis, specifically exploring the racial differences in the impact of lifestyle and gut microbiome on the development of diverticulitis among diverse racial and ethnic groups. This also involves leading large-scale multi-omic analyses on diverticulitis and studying how the microbiome mediates and modulates the effects of diet and lifestyle on diverticulitis.
2. Lifestyle factors, genetic susceptibility, and risk of incident diverticulitis. Supported by the MGH Claflin Distinguished Scholar Award, we are examining the interplay between genetic predisposition and lifestyle factors in the context of diverticulitis and quantify the extent the increased genetic risk can be offset by healthy lifestyle choices.
3. Prediction of outcomes in diverticulitis using AI approaches. Supported by NIDDK K01, we are integrating electronic health records and imaging data to predict outcomes in diverticulitis utilizing advanced artificial intelligence techniques. This includes employing natural language processing to analyze clinical notes and leveraging deep learning algorithms to interpret CT scans.

Dr. Melmed conducts clinical research on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the areas of vaccine-preventable illnesses, health-related quality of life, and postoperative outcomes.

Research: A remarkable feature of the GI tract is that it has its own intrinsic nervous system that can function rather independently to regulate a wide variety of digestive functions. The goal of our laboratory is to understand how neurons and glial cells in this enteric nervous system (ENS) interact with other cells in the gut to regulate motility, pain and immune responses. We use mouse genetic models, in vivo and in vitro assays to tackle these questions. Our work is motivated by the conviction that a better understanding of enteric neurobiology will advance the diagnosis and treatment of digestive disease.

Project(s): The student will work on an independent project under the joint mentorship of Dr. Rao and a postdoctoral fellow or senior Ph.D. student with the goals of learning how to design, perform and interpret experiments, give effective presentations, and participate in the process of authoring a manuscript for publication. Projects may involve molecular biology, cell culture, tissue dissections, analysis of genomics data, microscopy, and mouse behavioral assays, depending on the student’s interests and experience.

Website: raolab.hms.harvard.edu

Research: Neurogastroenterology and motility– understanding the mechanisms of disease and novel diagnostics and treatments for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gas/bloating, constipation, fecal incontinence, and gastroparesis. Current projects in the lab include 1. Neuromodulation Therapy for fecal incontinence (FI); 2. Gut and brain interactions; 3. Home Biofeedback Therapy for Dyssynergic defecation & FI; 4. Food intolerance; 5. Vibrating capsule for Motility disorders.

Project(s):Students could work on projects (1) examining bidirectional gut-brain interactions in IBS and constipation, FI; (2) Novel Capsules for GI Motility diagnosis and therapy, or (3) body posture and defecation dynamic.

Research: Clinical and translational research on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), specifically women with IBD and predictors of response to therapy. 

Project(s): (1) Participation in study design, data collection, and analysis.

Visit the Turner Lab (jrturnerlab.com) website for details on research projects.