Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2003

Mentor: George Sarosi M.D.
Department: Surgery
Room number:E6218 or VA Blg 2 A551
Mail Code: 9156
Phone number:214-648-7916 or 214 857-2176
E-mail: George.Sarosi@UTSouthwestern.edu
Project title: Mechanisms of acid and bile induced proliferation in Barrett's Esophagus

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable):

Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable):

Project Type (patient-based research, animal-based research, or basic research; this characterization is only to permit a general classification for grouping similar types of projects) Basic Research.

Brief Description of Project: Esophageal cancer remains one of the more deadly human cancers with a close to 90% case fatality rate. More alarmingly the incidence of this deadly disease appears to be rising in the United States population. Barrett's esophagus (BE) is a premalignant condition caused by chronic Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and the vast majority of esophageal adenocarcinomas are thought to arise from BE. Although solid epidemiological evidence links GERD to the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma, the molecular mechanisms by which acid and bile salt reflux causes the malignant progression from BE to adenocarcinoma are poorly understood. My laboratory is focused on investigating the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which both acid and non-acid reflux influence proliferation and apoptosis in BE, resulting in increased growth and the progression to adenocarcinoma. Techniques performed in the lab include cell culture, Western and immunoblotting, Fluorescent digital imaging Microscopy, and immuno-cytochemistry.
Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students:

Summer 2002: Hosted Vincent Tello MS 1 in lab.

Return to UT Southwestern Homepage

Return to Student Research Projects Index