BLR&D Research Career Scientist Award

BLR

• 批准号: 10618234
• 负责人: Heather L Francis
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: RLR VA MEDICAL CENTER
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-04-01 至 2025-03-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10618234
• 关键词: Abdominal Pain; Ablation; Aging; American; Antihistamines; Area; Award; Bile Acids; Bile fluid; Biliary; Biology; Cell Communication; Cell Count; Cells; Chemotactic Factors; Cholangiocarcinoma; Cholestasis; Chronic; Cicatrix; Cirrhosis; Clinical; Collaborations; Colorectal Cancer; Cromolyn Sodium; Data; Development; Diagnosis; Disease; Disease Progression; Ductal Epithelial Cell; Epithelium; Fibrosis; Functional disorder; Funding; Gall Bladder Diseases; Gallbladder; Gallbladder Carcinoma; Gastroenterology; Genetic; Goals; Grant; Healthcare Systems; Hepatic; Hepatic Stellate Cell; Hepatobiliary; Hepatocyte; Hepatology; Heterogeneity; High Fat Diet; Histamine; Histamine Agents; Histamine Receptor; Icterus; Immune system; In Vitro; Incidence; Indiana; Inflammation; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases; Injury; Internal Medicine; International; Investigation; Investments; Journals; K-Series Research Career Programs; Knockout Mice; Laboratories; Left; Leptin; Ligation; Link; Liver; Liver Fibrosis; Liver diseases; Malignant neoplasm of liver; Manuscripts; Mediator; Medical Students; Medical center; Medicine; Mentors; Mesenchymal; Mission; Molecular; Mus; National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Neurosecretory Systems; Operative Surgical Procedures; Patients; Phenotype; Play; Positioning Attribute; Postdoctoral Fellow; Preparation; Printing; Progressive Disease; Pruritus; Publications; Publishing; Reaction; Recurrence; Research; Research Personnel; Research Support; Risk; Rodent; Rodent Model; Role; Scientist; Seminal; Signal Pathway; Signal Transduction; Study Section; Symptoms; Texas; Time; Training; Transforming Growth Factor beta Receptors; Transplantation; Tumor Angiogenesis; Ulcerative Colitis; United States; United States National Institutes of Health; Universities; Veterans; Work; angiogenesis; autocrine; bile duct; biliary tract; biomarker identification; career; cell motility; cell transformation; cell type; cholangiocyte; editorial; graduate student; gut microbiota; high risk; human model; in vivo; interest; liver injury; liver transplantation; mast cell; member; migration; mouse model; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; nonalcoholic steatohepatitis; novel; novel therapeutics; patient subsets; post-doctoral training; primary sclerosing cholangitis; programs; receptor; recruit; reduce symptoms; release factor; senescence; senior faculty; symposium; therapeutic target; treatment strategy; tumor; tumor growth; tumor progression; undergraduate student

AIMS: The goal of this application is to apply for Research Career Scientist (RCS) Award and to support Dr. Heather Francis’ VA research program. NOMINEE: The candidate, Dr. Heather Francis, is the Scientific Director of the inaugural Indiana Center for Liver Research (ICLR) at Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis as well as a full Professor of Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Indiana University. Dr. Francis recently assumed this position in January of 2019 and continues her VA funded work in Indianapolis. Prior to moving to Indiana, Dr. Francis was a Research Biologist at Central Texas Veteran’s Health Care System in Temple, Texas and she has had continuous VA funding since 2012 with the inception of a VA Career Development Award which she transitioned into a BLRD VA Merit Award in 2016. Dr. Francis’ area of interest and expertise lies in the pathophysiology of cholangiocyte (bile duct cells) biology and Dr. Francis has been trained and mentored by a world-renowned expert, Dr. Gianfranco Alpini (2007 – 2015). Dr. Francis has become a leader in the field of hepatic mast cells and their contribution to liver diseases and also how mast cells interact with resident liver cells, including cholangiocytes and hepatic stellate cells. Currently, Dr. Francis holds a BLRD VA Merit (resubmitted and scored, June 2019) and two NIH NIDDK R01 awards (role: PI on both). She serves as a permanent member on the NIH NIDDK Hepatobiliary Pathophysiology Study Section (2018- 2023) and is on the editorial board of Hepatology, Laboratory Investigation and PLoSOne. Dr. Francis has been an active mentor since 2011 and continues to serve on graduate student committees, train post-doctoral fellows and develop collaborations with clinical partners. In addition, since 2012, Dr. Francis has maintained a number of collaborations with VA funded investigators that has resulted in numerous publications. IMPACT: Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) is a long-term progressive disease of the liver and gallbladder characterized by inflammation and scarring of the bile ducts which normally allow bile to drain from the gallbladder. Patients who suffer from PSC may be asymptomatic or suffer from a myriad of symptoms such as jaundice, itching and abdominal pain. In addition, most patients with PSC (upwards of 75%) also suffer from inflammatory bowel diseases like Ulcerative Colitis, thus complicating their treatment strategies. The risks of PSC include increased incidences of CCA, but also colorectal cancer and gallbladder carcinoma are found in more patients with PSC then without. The causes of PSC are not fully known; however, some studies point to genetic links, malfunctioning immune systems and a dysregulation of the gut microbiota. Treatment options for patients with PSC are severely limited. There is a sub-population of patients who get relief from treatment with the bile acid, ursodeoxycholate; however, not all patients respond. Liver transplantation remains the most definitive “cure” or treatment for PSC, but there is a chance of recurrence following transplantation. The estimated survival time from diagnosis is ~20 years depending upon the stage of discovery and management throughout. Our work has demonstrated that histamine (derived primarily from mast cells) levels are increased in patients with PSC and patients with CCA. In addition, we have shown that mast cell numbers increase in these patients and are found close to bile ducts, thus making this work highly clinically important. This proposal aims to identify biomarkers and potential novel therapies to both alleviate symptoms and offer curative advances without transplantation. In addition, since PSC can develop into CCA (which is increased in a subpopulation of U.S. Veterans), we will also aim to understand the transition of PSC and signaling mechanisms that regulate this development of CCA.

本申请的目的是申请研究职业科学家（RCS）奖，并支持博士。 石楠·弗朗西斯的退伍军人管理局研究项目。 提名：候选人石楠弗朗西斯博士是首届印第安纳州肝脏中心的科学主任 研究（ICLR）在理查德L。Roudebush VA医疗中心在印第安纳波利斯，以及一个全职教授 印第安纳州内科、胃肠病学和肝病学 大学弗朗西斯博士最近于2019年1月担任这一职务，并继续她的VA资助的工作， 印第安纳波利斯。在搬到印第安纳州之前，弗朗西斯博士是德克萨斯州中部退伍军人健康中心的研究生物学家 护理系统在坦普尔，得克萨斯州，她一直有连续的VA资金自2012年以来的VA成立 职业发展奖，她在2016年转变为BLRD VA优异奖。弗朗西斯医生的区域 兴趣和专长在于胆管细胞（胆管细胞）生物学的病理生理学，弗朗西斯博士 由世界知名专家Gianfranco Alpini博士（2007 - 2015）培训和指导。弗朗西斯博士 成为肝脏肥大细胞及其对肝脏疾病的贡献以及肥大细胞如何 与常驻肝细胞相互作用，包括胆管细胞和肝星状细胞。目前，弗朗西斯博士持有 一个BLRD VA Merit（重新提交并评分，2019年6月）和两个NIH NIDDK R 01奖项（角色：两者的PI）。她 担任NIH NIDDK肝胆病理生理学研究部分的常任理事国（2018- 2023） 并担任《肝病学》、《实验室研究》和《PLoSOne》的编委。弗朗西斯博士一直是 自2011年以来一直是积极的导师，并继续在研究生委员会任职，培养博士后研究员 并与临床合作伙伴开展合作。此外，自2012年以来，弗朗西斯博士一直保持着一些 与退伍军人事务部资助的研究人员的合作，导致了许多出版物。 影响：原发性硬化性胆管炎（PSC）是一种肝脏和胆囊的长期进展性疾病 其特征是胆管的炎症和瘢痕形成，通常允许胆汁从胆管排出。 胆囊患有PSC的患者可能无症状或患有多种症状，例如 黄疸瘙痒和腹痛此外，大多数PSC患者（超过75%）还患有 炎症性肠病，如溃疡性结肠炎，从而使其治疗策略复杂化。的风险 PSC包括CCA的发病率增加，但也发现结直肠癌和胆囊癌， 有PSC的患者多于无PSC的患者。PSC的原因尚不完全清楚;然而，一些研究指出， 遗传联系、免疫系统故障和肠道微生物群失调。的治疗选择 患有PSC的患者严重受限。有一个亚群的患者从治疗中得到缓解， 胆汁酸、熊去氧胆酸盐;然而，并非所有患者都有反应。肝移植仍然是最 PSC的最终“治愈”或治疗，但移植后有复发的机会。估计 从诊断开始的生存时间约为20年，这取决于发现和治疗的阶段。 我们的工作表明，组胺（主要来自肥大细胞）水平增加， PSC和CCA患者。此外，我们已经表明，肥大细胞数量增加，在这些患者 并且在胆管附近被发现，因此使得这项工作在临床上非常重要。该提案旨在确定 生物标志物和潜在的新疗法，以缓解症状并提供治疗进展， 移植此外，由于PSC可以发展为CCA（其在美国的亚群中增加）， 退伍军人），我们还将致力于了解PSC的过渡和调节此信号机制 发展CCA。