Abstract
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) causes chronic intestinal inflammation; however, one of the hallmarks of IBD is pathological matrix remodeling of the intestinal wall, which manifests as either intestinal stricturing (fibrosis) or fistulae formation (degradation). This project uses a combination of modifiable, synthetic 3D matrices and human iPSC-derived intestinal organoids, which contain both epithelial and mesenchymal cells to create a reductionist model of the intestine. Our goal is to fundamentally understand how pathological matrix remodeling in the mesenchyme contributes to inflammatory-like phenotypes in the epithelium, potentially leading to the discovery of targets that could be exploited therapeutically.
References
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