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Basic Research

Basic science research in the Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases focuses on inflammation and injury, metabolism, and cancer biology. See faculty profiles for further detail.

Dr. Amin Amin

Amin Amin, M.D.

Research Interests: Dr. Amin’s research focuses on closing the gap between liver organ demand and supply by rehabilitating fatty donor livers that are otherwise too risky to be transplanted. He also works on improving organ storage conditions outside of the human body.

Publications

Dr. Ezra Burstein

Ezra Burstein, M.D., Ph.D.

Research Interests: COMMD proteins: We study the regulation of endosomal protein sorting and immune function by members of this protein family. Genetics of inflammatory disorders: Our lab investigates the genetic basis of disorders of immune function, particularly affecting the GI tract Mucosal immunity and immune-tumor interactions in the GI tract.

Visit the Burstein Research Lab Publications

Dr. Jeffrey Browning

Jeffrey Browning, M.D.

Research Interests: Pathogenesis of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Publications

Dr. Luke Engelking

Luke Engelking, M.D., Ph.D.

Research Interests: Cholesterol and Fat Metabolism, Enteroendocrine Cell Biology, SREBP, Scap and Insig Proteins

Visit the Engelking Research Lab Publications

Dr. Jay Horton

Jay Horton, M.D.

Research Interests: Hepatic steatosis, Lipid metabolism

Visit the Horton Research Lab Publications

Dr. Yujin Hoshida

Yujin Hoshida, M.D., Ph.D.

Research Interests: Liver cancer, Liver cirrhosis, Molecular classification, Precision medicine, Prognostic prediction

Liver Tumor Translational Research Program Publications

Dr. Rodney Infante

Rodney Infante, M.D., Ph.D.

Research Interests: Cachexia, Cytokine-Associated Adipocyte Lipolysis, Lipid Metabolism, Obesity

Visit the Infante Research Lab Publications

Dr. Shahanshah Khan

Mahesh Kathania, Ph.D.

Research Interests:

Publications

Dr. Shahanshah Khan

Shahanshah Khan, Ph.D.

Research Interests:

Publications

Dr. Xiao-Fei Kong

Xiao-Fei Kong, M.D., Ph.D.

Research Interests: Celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, inborn errors of immunity, and rare liver diseases.

Visit the Kong Research Lab Publications

Dr. Xi Li

Xi Li, Ph.D.

Research Interests: Dr. Li’s research interests include cancer biology, mucosal immunology, and drug discovery.

Dr. Ernest Llano

Ernesto Llano, M.D.

Research Interests: Dr. Llano’s primary research interest is cachexia, or wasting syndrome, particularly in the context of patients with cancer. He studies the molecular mechanisms through which cancers drive cachexia as a member of the Infante Lab

Visit the Infante Research Lab Publications

Dr. Ravi Maddipati

Ravikanth Maddipati, M.D.

Research Interests: Cancer Genetics, Cancer Metastasis, High Risk and Hereditary Cancer Screening, Pancreatic Cancer, Pancreatitis

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Dr. Ayaz Najafov

Ayaz Najafov, Ph.D.

Research Interests: Anti-tumor immunity, Cancer, Immunogenic cell death, Immunotherapy, Necroptosis signaling

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Dr. Josephine Ni

Josephine Ni, M.D.

Research Interests: Our goal is to predictably engineer the microbiota to treat intestinal diseases using a pipeline based on next-generation sequencing of patient-derived samples coupled with bacterial genetics.

Visit the Ni Research Lab Publications

Dr. Suraj Patel

Suraj Patel, M.D., Ph.D.

Research Interests: The Patel laboratory asks fundamental questions about how the liver works, and by doing so we hope to gain new insights into the metabolic causes and consequences of liver disease with the ultimate goal of developing new clinical therapies. Our laboratory has a particular interest in hepatic metabolism and its regulation by the immune system. We utilize genetic, epigenetic and proteomic approaches, combined with detailed physiological studies, to understand the complex mechanisms that causally link inflammation to metabolic dysfunction in obesity and fatty liver disease.

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Dr. Venuprasad Poojary

Venuprasad Poojary, Ph.D.

Research Interests: Colon Cancer, Gut Microbiota, Inflammasome, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBDs), Th17/Treg Differentiation

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Hans-Christian Reinecker, M.D.

Research Interests: Control of adaptive host-defenses by Schlafen family proteins. Controlling innate and adaptive immune responses by Sensor Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING). Developing strategies to induce anti-tumor immunity for cancer immunotherapy. Targeting intracellular microtubule based microbial pattern recognition to control disease mechanisms of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

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Dr. Amika Singla

Amika Singla, Ph.D.

Research Interests: COMM Domain Contraining Proteins (COMMDs), Endosomal Trafficking of Cargos, Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)

Visit the Burstein Research Lab Publications

Dr. Ashutos Shuka

Ashutosh Shukla, Ph.D.

Research Interests:

Publications

Dr. Emre Turer

Emre Turer, M.D., Ph.D.

Research Interests: Apoptotic and Inflammatory Signaling, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Intestinal Epithelial Cell Biology, Mucosal Immunology

Visit the Turer Research Lab Publications