Newberry named Danforth WashU Physician-Scientist Scholar – Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis - Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

Gastroenterologist is internationally regarded adept connected inflammatory bowel diseases

Rodney Newberry, MD (left), a gastroenterologist, talks successful his laboratory with postdoctoral probe associates (from left) Sreeram Udayan, PhD, and Vini John, PhD. Newberry has been named a William H. Danforth Washington University Physician-Scientist Scholar.

Rodney D. Newberry, MD, the Dr. Nicholas V. Costrini Professor of Gastroenterology and Inflammatory Bowel Disease astatine Washington University School of Medicine successful St. Louis, has been named a William H. Danforth Washington University Physician-Scientist Scholar. The program, established successful 2022, is aimed astatine supporting the careers of outstanding physician-scientists whose enactment is genuinely pioneering and changing the field. Newberry is the 3rd physician-researcher to beryllium named a Danforth scholar.

Washington University has a agelong past of processing and nurturing the careers of physician-scientists. Because of their enactment successful the clinic, unneurotic with extended probe training, physician-scientists often are astatine the forefront of solving analyzable aesculapian problems, which tin pb to caller approaches to diagnosing and treating disease.

Newberry is simply a gastroenterologist whose probe focuses connected defining however immune dysfunction successful the gut leads to inflammatory bowel diseases, specified arsenic Crohn’s illness and ulcerative colitis. These illnesses impact 1.6 cardinal radical successful the U.S. alone. He studies however cells that enactment the intestine — a archetypal enactment of defence against invading, harmful pathogens — tin co-exist with trillions of affable gut microbes and overseas nutrient proteins. His studies person helped uncover the mechanisms by which gut immune cells equine an inflammatory effect against the body’s ain cells, a process that tin jump-start the improvement of inflammatory bowel diseases.

“Rodney’s enactment has led to caller insights into however a comparatively poorly understood benignant of epithelial compartment contributes to regularisation of host-microbe interactions successful the gut, and expertise to the survey of gut immunity, and his accomplishments correspond the epitome of what we aspire to arsenic physician-scientists,” said David H. Perlmutter, MD, enforcement vice chancellor for aesculapian affairs, the George and Carol Bauer Dean of the School of Medicine and the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor. “He is exploring caller approaches that volition amended the attraction for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases. In naming him a Danforth student we are recognizing his outstanding contributions, and I’m highly pleased that the Danforth WashU Physician-Scientist Investigator Initiative volition assistance beforehand his work.”

Newberry is simply a main researcher connected six grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that are focused connected exploring the immune strategy successful the gut. The grants money innovative studies of the behaviour of specialized cells called goblet cells that nutrient mucus successful the gut and signifier a protective obstruction against invading pathogens. His probe besides has shown that goblet cells play a relation successful chaperoning nutrient antigens successful the gut truthful that the immune strategy doesn’t equine an attack. The enactment suggests that specified cells are imaginable targets for caller therapies against inflammatory bowel diseases, celiac illness and nutrient allergies, each of which are caused by an overactive immune system.

Newberry and his colleagues discovered that goblet cells tin present signals to the immune strategy done a process called Goblet-cell associated Antigen Passages (GAPs). His enactment has shown that infections tin inhibit the mode that GAPs form, tamping down the immune response.

In addition, helium is studying however the inappropriate inhibition of GAPs by microbes and pathogens mightiness predispose radical to diseases, including inflammatory bowel illness and metabolic syndrome. Newberry besides demonstrated a cardinal relation for bosom beverage successful the prevention of sepsis successful premature babies. His squad recovered that a molecule successful bosom beverage activates receptors connected intestinal cells that support unsafe gut bacteria from migrating into the bloodstream.

A decennary ago, Newberry’s laboratory besides helped to make a caller imaging method that allowed scientists to ticker the interior workings of the intestine successful a surviving rodent successful existent time. Such imaging allowed Newberry and his colleagues to larn however goblet cells behave successful the intestine.

“To beforehand his research, Dr. Newberry has developed caller approaches to survey however the gut protects itself from pathogens,” said Wayne M. Yokoyama, MD, manager of the Division of Physician-Scientists, the Sam J. Levin and Audrey Loew Levin Professor of Arthritis Research, and an subordinate dean. “He has revolutionized the knowing of the gut’s immune responses by processing ways to visualize what was not imaginable to spot previously.”

The Physician-Scientist Investigator Initiative targets MD and MD/PhD researchers who person an established way grounds of exceptional probe contributions and backing and are subordinate oregon afloat professors. The School of Medicine has committed $40 cardinal implicit the adjacent decennary to beryllium utilized arsenic portion of highly competitory packages for specified candidates. With effect backing from this commitment, the school’s objective departments purpose to pull and clasp the astir talented physician-scientists successful the U.S. and abroad.

“Dr. Newberry brings a physician’s position to his probe and a researcher’s position to caring for his patients,” said Victoria J. Fraser, MD, the Adolphus Busch Professor and caput of the Department of Medicine. “Both are steeped successful intelligence curiosity to determination the tract forward.”

Newberry earned his bachelor’s grade successful biology from Washington University and his aesculapian grade from the School of Medicine earlier joining the module successful 1999.

William H. Danforth, MD, who served arsenic chancellor of Washington University from 1971 to 1995, was the inspiration for the physician-scientist initiative. Danforth was a cardiologist who joined the School of Medicine module successful 1957 aft grooming successful medicine and pediatrics astatine what is present Barnes-Jewish Hospital, and St. Louis Children’s Hospital. He roseate done the ranks astatine the School of Medicine earlier taking connected administrative duties arsenic vice chancellor for aesculapian affairs. Along the way, helium conducted basal probe successful the laboratory of Nobel laureates Carl and Gerty Cori. During his chancellorship, Washington University importantly expanded resources for assistance and technological discovery, and completed its modulation from a section assemblage to a nationalist probe university.

“I americium honored and humbled to beryllium named a Danforth Physician-Scientist Scholar,” Newberry said. “Washington University School of Medicine successful St. Louis is 1 of the premier biomedical probe institutions successful the satellite and has a agelong and affluent past of cultivating physician-scientists who person precocious the tract of medicine. To beryllium considered alongside these individuals and to beryllium formally named 1 of them is simply a item of my career.”