Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2009

Mentor: Matthew Stoll MD
Department: Pediatrics
Room number: F6223 (CMC Pavillion)
Mail Code: 9063
Phone number: (214) 456-6595
E-mail: Matthew.Stoll@UTSouthwestern.edu
Project title: Evaluation of intestinal inflammation in children with spondyloarthritis and controls

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): 072009-013

Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): N/A

Project Type: Patient-based research

Brief Description of Project:

Although the link between the gut and the joint has long been recognized, the relationship between the two remains elusive. It is my hypothesis that in most patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA), the gut serves as a source of a chronic inflammatory stimulus that perpetuates the synovial inflammation. However, most prior studies of gut inflammation in patients with SpA have involved invasive diagnostic tests.
This is a pilot study in which the primary aim is for us to evaluate whether stool biomarkers can depict the presence of gut inflammation; a subset of patients with abnormal stool findings will undergo a contrast-enhanced MRI of their intestines to confirm the stool studies. Thus, the results of this pilot study may provide us with a stool biomarker that can be used to study the association between gut inflammation and SpA, and possibly even to intervene to treat sub-clinical IBD in some patients.
The student's primary role would be to recruit patients into the study, as well as to perform follow-up activities with enrolled subjects.

Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students:

None.