Johns Hopkins Children’s Center
gastroenterologist Anthony Guerrerio, M.D., Ph.D., has received the George
Ferry Young Investigator Development award of the North American Society for
Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) Foundation for his research on childhood digestive
diseases.
The award, which comes with $150,000
in research funding over two years, is given to outstanding scientists who
study the origins, mechanisms and treatments of a wide variety of pediatric
gastrointestinal disorders.
Guerrerio
received the award for his ongoing study of the role of a protein called
TFG-beta in the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and a family of
disorders called eosinophilic gastrointestinal disease (EGID). Both are chronic
inflammatory conditions of the digestive tract, typically considered separate
disorders, but Guerrerio and colleagues suspect that IBD and EGID share a
common underlying mechanism: dysregulation of TGF-beta activity that causes
recurrent inflammation and damage to the gastrointestinal tract.
IBD
and its two main forms, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, affect nearly
100,000 children in the United States. EGID, the most common form of which is
eosonophilic esophagitis, affects nearly 250,000 people.
“My colleagues and I are grateful for this award and excited about the
opportunity it will give us to continue to unravel the underlying mechanisms of
two of the most elusive gastrointestinal disorders,” Guerrerio said.
“Tony’s work exemplifies the next frontier in our understanding of how dysregulation
of the immune system can lead to these complex disorders, and a better
understanding can lead to the development of new treatments for patients,” said
Maria Oliva-Hemker, M.D., director of Gastroenterology & Nutrition at
Hopkins Children’s Center.
Guerrerio received his medical degree from The Johns Hopkins University School
of Medicine. He completed his residency and fellowship in pediatric
gastroenterology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Guerrerio was honored at the
NASPGHAN Foundation Awards Reception on Oct. 22 during the society’s annual
meeting in Orlando, Fla.
Founded by the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology,
Hepatology and Nutrition, the NASPGHAN Foundation is dedicated to improving the
understanding, treatment and management of gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary,
pancreatic and nutritional disorders in children