Introduction Epithelial regeneration in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is governed by complex interactions between intestinal epithelial cells and their surrounding microenvironment. The mechanism by which this occurs is poorly understood, and the influence of these...
Introduction N-acetyltransferase2 (NAT2) is a phase II drug metabolic enzyme with many reported SNPs that affect its catalytic activity. Depending upon the combination of alleles present a subject could have slow, intermediate or rapid acetylator...
Introduction Regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation and death in the intestinal epithelium has been the focus of intense research for many years. In addition to epithelial-intrinsic factors, the roles of the mucosal immune system, enteric...
Introduction The intestinal epithelium forms a selective barrier that facilitates nutrient absorption while blocking harmful substances and pathogens. Disruption of this barrier contributes to gastrointestinal diseases such as IBD and infections. While the roles of...
Introduction Organoid cultures offer diverse research opportunities, from studying organ development, mimicking biological processes, assessing drug toxicity and creating experimental models. The complexity and heterogeneity of organoid models demands gene expression analysis to identify global...
Introduction Organoids model important aspects of human physiology and play an important role in drug discovery. However, to date, they have been lacking a tissue-specific immune compartment. The intestinal mucosal immune system is the largest...
Introduction Chemotherapy relies on a high ratio of toxicity toward cancer cells vs. non-malignant cells. Normal tissues with a high proportion of proliferating cells such as the epithelia of the gut, are most vulnerable toward...
Introduction Despite large scale technological and data-driven advances, efficacious and long-lasting treatments for chronic gut illnesses such as IBD, Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis (UC) appear to remain out of reach for the millions of sufferers...
The intestinal epithelium is characterised by intense self-renewal which is accomplished by intestinal stem cells (ISCs), located at the base of the crypts. Beyond normal tissue homeostasis, these cells play a major role in the...
