R. (Raphael) Fagundes Rosa
Field/Discipline
Expertise
The intestinal mucosa is exposed to fluctuations in oxygen levels due to constantly changing rates of oxygen demand and supply and its juxtaposition with the anoxic environment of the intestinal lumen. This frequently results in a state of hypoxia in the healthy mucosa even in the physiologic state. Furthermore, pathophysiologic hypoxia (which is more severe and extensive) is associated with chronic inflammatory diseases including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), a ubiquitously expressed regulator of cellular adaptation to hypoxia, is central to both the adaptive and the inflammatory responses of cells of the intestinal mucosa in IBD patients. In my PhD, I was interested in studying how microenvironmental factors in the intestine modulate intestinal epithelial HIF-1α activation and influence epithelial homeostasis. Currently, as a PostDoc, I study the KEAP1:NFR2 pathway in the context of mucosal inflammation, in which we apply scRNAseq to intestinal biopsies and patient-derived intestinal organoids to better understand cell-type specific responses to oxidative stress and antioxidant therapy.
| Last modified: | 01 March 2024 1.09 p.m. |