Researchers receive funding to study inflammatory bowel disease

Several Stanford Medicine investigators have received new or continuing grants from the Oakland-based Kenneth Rainin Foundation to understand and treat inflammatory bowel disease. The funding is part of the organization’s Synergy Awards program, which supports teams of researchers working on collaborative projects.

Recipients include:

• Karla Kirkegaard, PhD, the Violetta L. Horton Research Professor and professor of genetics and of microbiology and immunology, who, together with a researcher from UCLA, received $200,000 to investigate the relationship between inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease and a type of long, noncoding RNA.
• Stephan Rogalla, MD, instructor of radiology and of medicine; Sarah Streett, MD, clinical associate professor of medicine; Garry Nolan, PhD, the Rachford and Carlota Harris Professor and professor of microbiology and immunology; and Aaron Meyer, a graduate student in bioengineering; received $300,000 to develop a personalized therapy for IBD by analyzing biomarkers using mass cytometry and multiplexed ion beam imaging.
• Aida Habtezion, MD, associate professor of medicine; Sidhartha Sinha, MD, assistant professor of medicine; and Justin Sonnenburg, PhD, associate professor of microbiology and immunology; received a continuing award of $300,000 to examine how secondary bile acids affect intestinal inflammation.