The main focus of her research is the pathophysiology of inflammatory and functional gastrointestinal disorders, and the role of host-microbial and dietary interactions. Work in her lab deals with the way commensal bacteria and food components can affect susceptibility to disease such as inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome and celiac disease. They have demonstrated that gut dysfunction can be triggered by gluten in mice, even in the absence of enteropathy, leading to the concept of non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Gluten sensitivity may constitute one possible cause of irritable bowel syndrome that could be treated by a gluten-free diet or adjuvant therapies to gluten exclusion. Clinical trials are currently being conducted to functionally characterize these patients and identify mechanisms of gluten sensitivity in humans. She is also working on the preclinical development of several adjuvant therapies to a gluten-free diet.
