We study disease-relevant cell and organ signaling pathways in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD, which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis) using molecular and cell biology, multi-omics technologies (e.g., single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, proteomics, whole-genome/exome sequencing, metagenomics), murine models, and human tissues. Our research interests also include IBD-associated colorectal cancer and eosinophilic esophagitis.
Our current research focuses on: 1) Innate lymphoid cells (ILC) in murine IBD; 2) Innate immune mechanisms in perianal and fibrostenotic Crohn’s disease; 3) Multi-omics analyses of IBD-related complications, including Crohn’s of the pouch, perianal fistulizing CD, and microscopic colitis; 4) Biomarker discovery for IBD therapies (e.g., anti-IL-23s) and diagnosis (e.g., fibrostenotic CD); 5) Epithelial cell defects in very early onset IBD (VEOIBD); 6) ILC2 in eosinophilic esophagitis; 7) ILCs in IBD-associated colorectal cancer.
Our lab has been supported by the NIH/NIDDK, Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation (CCF), American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), Doris Duke Foundation, Lawrence C. Pakula, MD IBD Education and Innovation Fund, and Washington University Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/siyan.cao.2/bibliography/public/