Dana Philpott
Dana Philpott is a Professor in the Department of Immunology at the University of Toronto and co-director of the Host-Microbiome Research Network, where she has established the first gnotobiotic (ie germ-free) mouse facility in Toronto. Dr. Philpott’s research employs animal models of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and considers how innate immunity and the microbiome shape immune homeostasis within the intestine. Specifically, her group studies three genes implicated in the pathogenesis of the IBD, Crohn’s disease. This disease can affect the entire gastrointestinal tract and the chronic inflammation that ensues can put individuals at risk for developing colon cancer. Current treatment strategies, which include steroids, immunomodulatory drugs, and anti-TNF biologics, calm the inflammatory response but do not cure CD. Continued basic research is needed to define disease mechanisms to uncover new targets for therapy and find a cure for this increasingly prevalent chronic disorder.
Abstracts this author is presenting: