The newly formed Centre for Digestive Diseases undertakes research and teaching into all aspect of the gastrointestinal tract, liver and nutrition. The Centre, comprising xx academic staff, was established this year and brings together the former Centres for Gastroenterology and Academic Surgery. In so doing the the Centre is directly aligned to the Digestive Diseases Clinical Academic Unit (CAU) at Barts and The London NHS Trust, and both have the same director in Professor Ian Sanderson.

The Centre is one of the very few units that undertakes research in both paediatric and adult disease. It is organised as research community with principal investigators grouped into major interdisciplinary research groups encompassing: epithelial cell biology; infection, immunity and inflammation; hepatology; neurogastroenterology; ano-rectal physiology; colorectal cancer and colorectal surgical development

The epithelial cell section researches into (1) the epithelial cell as part of the innate immune system, responding to microbial products and being modulated by nutrients; (2) carcinogenesis and the control of pathways that render gastric and colonic epithelial cells dysplastic and ultimately malignant.

The infection, immunity and inflammation section studies (1) inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), with both basic and translational research. In addition to examining pathways the initiate inflammation (for example, in dendritic cells), the section also studies the mechanisms whereby inflammation retards growth in children with Crohn’s disease. (2) The mechanisms whereby variations in psychological stress alter disease activity in IBD complements molecular studies undertaken by the Centre, which also studies novel agents such as growth factors and nutriceuticals in the treatment of IBD. Translational studies examine the efficacy of novel antibodies to proteins previously identified as central to the development of inflammation. (3) A large group studies the genetic basis of GI disease, particularly coeliac disease and Crohn’s disease. They identify novel immune genes and examine their relevance in functional assays. (4) Basic immunology focuses on parts of the immune response that are relevant to GI disease. These include T-cell activation, antigen presentation and novel mechanisms for delivering vaccines. (5) The Centre’s interest in GI infection focuses particularly on parasitology.  Tropical gastroenterology forms a strong component of the Centre with formalised links with the University of Zambia. The Centre constitutes the Gastroenterology part of the Wellcome Trust Bloomsbury Centre for Tropical Medicine.

The hepatology section examines mechanisms of pathogenesis of viral hepatitis (B and C). Molecular studies focus on how a virus subverts the signal transduction pathways critical to immune defence of the hepatocyte. Large scale novel anti-viral studies examine new treatments for these increasingly prevalent diseases.
 
The Centre has a longstanding tradition of research in neurogastroenterology established by Professor David Wingate in the 1980s. Among a wide portfolios of research studies the neurogastroenterology group examines how visceral pain is processed in the central nervous system, and its relationship to personality; it also delineates the physiological basis of GI motor dysfunction (particularly in the oesophagus); and it studies the development of new pharmacological agents that act on the enteric nervous system and its interaction with other intestinal cells.

Surgical research is aimed towards the development of practical improvements in the selection, treatment and care of patients with colorectal disorders and research into the causes underlying these diseases including cancer. The latter is partly supported by the charity Bowel and Cancer Research, working on the biology of colorectal cancer formation, the molecular staging of cancer and prognostic indicators in colorectal cancer.

The Ano-Rectal Physiology Laboratory specialises in the development of diagnostic tools and investigational techniques for colorectal disease and the study of the causes of functional disorders of the colon and rectum.

The Colorectal Development Unit carries out the introduction and evaluation of new clinical treatments for patients with colorectal disorders. As part of this, the Centre hosts enteric - the Bowel Function Healthcare Technology Co-operative, one of two pilots trialling the HTC concept.  The co-operative acts as the national centre for facilitating the development and dissemination of new medical technologies into the NHS to benefit those affected by problems of bowel function.

In addition to research, the Centre also teaches gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition to undergraduates. Postgraduate teaching is undertaken in the MSc Course in Gastroenterology, the only course of its kind in the United Kingdom.

In summary the Centre studies all aspects of the GI tract and liver from the perspective of adult medicine, paediatrics and surgery.