Pediatric Gastroenterology, Nutrition and Liver Research

Our Lab is a Pediatric Gastroenterology, Nutrition and Liver Research lab. Currently we focus on pediatric liver diseases and specifically, Biliary Atresia (BA) and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC). BA is a fibro-obliterative disease of the extrahepatic bile ducts affecting newborns, and is the leading indication for pediatric liver transplant. The etiology remains unknown and there is no effective treatment. In our lab we use a plant toxin, biliatresone, that causes BA outbreaks in Australian livestock as a novel research tool for the study of BA. This method allows us to study the primary events in the disease, define the signaling mechanisms involved in disease progression, and examine the possibilities for recovery. We also study mechanism of bile duct injury and repair in PSC.