Prof Julia Cordero - Local and Systemic Functions of the Intestine in Health and Disease

Introduction

The adult intestine is a major barrier epithelium with vital endocrine, immune and metabolic roles, leading to the coordination of whole-body physiology. These functions are achieved by specialised cells such as absorptive enterocytes and secretory enteroendocrine cells, which are generated by intestinal stem cells (ISCs). Stem cells constantly repair the intestinal epithelium by adjusting their proliferation and differentiation to tissue intrinsic as well as micro- and macro-environmental signals. How do these signals integrate to preserve intestinal and whole-body health?

Work in our laboratory is devoted to deciphering the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating ISC behaviour during tissue regeneration and tumourigenesis. We are also interested in understanding how the intestine interacts with other tissues and organs to maintain organismal balance and how these interactions are deregulated in intestinal diseases such as cancer or inflammation. We use the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as our primary in vivo research model system combined with suitable mammalian paradigms.

Our research aims to identify mechanisms that could be used in translational efforts to restore intestinal regeneration as well as to prevent malignant transformation of the intestine and alleviate the systemic consequences of intestinal malfunction.