Digestive Disease Center
The Digestive Disease Center (DDC) at Stanford University is one of 16 full NIH NIDDK sponsored Centers across the country. These Centers have, as their underlying purpose, the advancement of knowledge concerning the basis of and treatment for digestive and liver diseases.
The Stanford DDC has two areas of focus. The first deals with studying host-pathogen interactions in the GI tract and liver, with an emphasis on host and microbial determinants of pathogenesis and immunity. Infections under study include hepatitis A-D, polio virus, H. pylori, diarrheal agents such as rotavirus, salmonella, E. coli, cholera, Entamoeba histolytica and the Whipples bacillus. The second focus addresses the cell and molecular biology of digestive epithelia and gastrointestinal immunology with emphasis on normal and abnormal cell growth including malignant transformation, differentiation, development, cell polarity, the cytoskeleton and the role of immune mechanisms in autoimmune GI diseases, transplantation and GI infections, both acute and chronic. This focus targets several important digestive diseases including esophageal, pancreatic and colorectal cancer; acute and chronic liver diseases including viral and autoimmune liver disease; pancreatitis, Barrett's esophagus, inflammatory bowel disease and transplant rejection.
The Center consists of 34 established investigators and 13 associate members who blend several clinical and basic science departments. Harry Greenberg, Stanford Professor of Medicine and Senior Associate Dean of Research, is the Center's PI and Director.
Ten departments are involved in the Center program: nine from the School of Medicine and one from Engineering. DDC investigators are involved in a variety of highly productive collaborative studies. In 2007 alone, 26 resulting collaborative manuscripts were published. The Center consists of five Cores. The Administrative Core offers the Pilot/Feasibility Program which provides one year of funding ($25,000/year) to junior investigators or those with a novel or collaborative project; the Named Investigator Program which provides 1 year 15-25% effort/year support to a promising junior faculty; the Enrichment Program consisting of regular seminars, visiting lectures, and an annual Symposium and Retreat. Plans are underway for a Clinical Component that will provide biostatistical and data management support for clinical studies. The Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting/Immunoprobe Core offers an array of services that allow studying single cells and the generation of monoclonal antibodies, and luminex service.
The Cell Imaging and Tissue Microarray Core offer state-of-the-art imaging tools including confocal and electron microscopy, laser capture microdissection and tissue arrays. The Proteomics and Genomics Core offer the ability to identify disease-associated regulatory changes in genes or their proteins via microarray, 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis, mass spectrometry analysis and high-throughput screening. Finally, the Animal Imaging and Histology Core offers unparalleled access to state-of-the-art imaging capabilities in a variety of formats, histochemistry, tissue silver stains, standard paraffin processing, serial and step sectioning. Thus, this Center brings together an accomplished group of investigators, creates a highly interactive environment, and makes available state-of-the art technologies to address important digestive diseases.
PI / Director: Harry Greenberg
Alway Building , Room M211
300 Pasteur Drive
Stanford , CA 94305-5187
Tel. 650-493-5000 x 66133
Email:
hbgreen@stanford.edu
Associate Director: Jeffrey Glenn
CCSR Building, Rm. 3115
269 Campus Drive
Stanford , CA 94305-5187
Tel. 650- 725-3373
Email:
jefffrey.glenn@stanford.edu
Associate Director: Anson Lowe
Alway Building , Room M211
300 Pasteur Drive
Stanford , CA 94305-5187
Tel. 650- 725-6764
Email:
lowe@stanford.edu
Associate Director: Pankaj Jay Pasricha
Alway Building , Room M211
300 Pasteur Drive
Stanford , CA 94305-5187
Tel. 650-723-0286
Email:
pasricha@stanford.edu
DDC Administrator: Linda Jacob
Alway Building , Room M211
300 Pasteur Drive
Stanford , CA 94305-5187
Tel. 650-724-6469
Email:
lpjacob@stanford.edu