Role of Smoking-Induced Surfactant Protein-D in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic condition of the digestive system. Symptoms can include abdominal pain, persistent diarrhea, rectal bleeding, bloody stools, weight loss and fatigue. IBD is caused by a combination of genetics, environmental factors and irregular immune responses to normal gut bacteria. As the incidence of IBD is increasing in Asia, more research needs to be done on its’ treatment and management to improve patient quality of life and healthcare costs.
Previous studies have shown that smoking has a variable effect on IBD depending on which area of the digestive system is affected. Smoking has also been linked to increases in blood levels of surfactant protein d (SP-D) which has been shown to be associated with IBD.
This project would help investigate how IBD is affected by smoking-related increase of SP-D which could potentially be used as a target for treatment or prevention.

Faculty Supervisor:

Don Sin

Student:

Partner:

Keio University

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Education

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: