Postdoctoral research associate
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
My long-term career goal is to contribute for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) patients through basic and translational research and providing medical care. At the affiliated hospitals of University Hospital Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine where I trained, I received superior training clinically and in basic science to build the foundation for this career and I examined IBD patients as a gastroenterology, endoscopy and ultrasonography specialist, and treated them with new molecular targeted therapies at a referral hospital. I was also involved in several clinical studies as a member of IBD medical team. I investigated differences in microbial components between the upper and lower gut using mucosa- associated microbiota collected by endoscope brushings. My interests in how bacteria associate with IBD led to an opportunity to work as a postdoctoral associate in the lab of Dr. R. Balfour Sartor at the University of North Carolina, a world leader in IBD research. I focus on interactions between two bacteria, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Ruminococcus gnavus (R. gnavus), both abundant in IBD, especially in Crohn’s disease patients. I found the breakdown mucin products of R. gnavus digestion provide a growth source for E. coli LF82 and enhanced the production of hydrogen sulfide (H2S). Interestingly, H2S supports R. gnavus survival in minimal medium in vitro. Our proposed research focuses on investigating the breakdown products from mucin by R. gnavus, mechanisms of these bacterial interactions, and how these results of interactions relate to colitis. I am confident that these studies will move us closer to identifying novel treatments for IBD. They will also provide opportunities for my professional development toward the goal of becoming an independent investigator.