Research Areas
- Sickle Cell Disease
- Host-Pathogen and Cellular Interaction Mechanisms
- Biomarker Discovery and Translational Applications
Scientific Achievements
- Revealed distinct patterns of plasma versus stool zonulin distribution in patients with more frequent vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs).
- Collaboration with Dr. Ononogbu at University
- of Houston
- American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2025: Gut permeability marker zonulin in sickle cell disease: Preliminary associations with vasoocclusive crisis frequency.
- One PhD student participated in this study was awarded the 2025 TMCF scholarship.
Funding
RCMI Funding: U24MD015970, NIH, Morehouse School of Medicine: Pilot Project “Investigating Microbiome Characteristics in Sickle Cell Disease Patients”
Scientific Advance
Gut Permeability Marker Zonulin in Sickle Cell Disease: Preliminary Associations with Vasoocclusive Crisis Frequency American Society of Hematology (ASH) 67th Annual Meeting
This prospective, observational cohort study evaluated zonulin as a marker of gut permeability in adults with sickle cell disease (SCD), stratified by vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC) frequency. Plasma, stool, and matched plasma-to-stool ratios were analyzed using ELISA and compared with the Mann–Whitney U test. Case (≥3 VOCs) showed slightly higher plasma zonulin and plasma-to-stool ratios, with lower stool levels versus controls. Findings suggest altered zonulin compartmentalization in high-VOC patients and support larger longitudinal studies on gut barrier dysfunction in SCD. This research may help identify new biomarkers to better predict and manage pain crisis in sickle cell disease patients.
NIH: U24MD015970
