Stomach/Bowel/Pancreatic/Gall Bladder Disorders

Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) suffer bouts of extreme gut inflammation that disrupt the population of bacteria in their intestines. Consequently, IBD patients often have fewer beneficial bacteria and suffer an overgrowth of potentially dangerous bacteria. In healthy individuals, such responses are typically prevented by SIGIRR, a protein made by the cells that line the gut. 

Pancreatic cancer kills almost 5,000 Canadians each year and if progress is not made to improve outcomes, the annual number of deaths will double by 2030. In 80% of patients, the cancer has spread at the time of diagnosis, and is not operable. Most of these patients die within one year due to the lack of effective therapies and the fact that clinicians have no clear guidance on which existing treatment option would work best for individual patients.

Many Canadians live with debilitating chronic gut disorders such as Crohn's or ulcerative colitis (also known as inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD), Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), or both. These disorders lead to increased morbidity and reduce quality of life and productivity for patients and their families. One in every 150 Canadians has IBD, which is the highest rate worldwide. CDI is the number one cause of health care-associated infection (HAI) in Canada, and associated costs are approximately $300 million per year.

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are characterized by chronic intestinal inflammation and tissue damage. There are trillions of bacteria found  within the human intestine and IBDs are thought to develop when mucus barriers that normally keep these  bacteria inside the gastrointestinal tract become impaired,  allowing bacteria to escape out of the gut lumen and causing  chronic inflammation. While the role of epithelial cells in promoting barrier function is well known, the protective actions of the mucus barrier are relatively understudied.

Dr. Laura Sly’s research program aims to improve our understanding of inflammatory bowel disease pathology and to identify and validate novel therapeutic approaches that will improve patient care. Her team has been investigating the role of SH2-containing Inositol Phosphatase (SHIP) in intestinal inflammation. SHIP is a protein that regulates enzymes involved in immune cell signaling. Sly’s research has shown that SHIP-deficient macrophages are hyper-responsive to IL-4, which drives them to an alternatively activated or M2 phenotype.