Newberry named Danforth WashU Physician-Scientist Scholar – Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

Rodney D. Newbery, M.D.Dr. Nicholas V. Costrini, Professor of Gastroenterology and Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, said: William H. Danforth University of Washington Physician Scientist ScholarEstablished in 2022, the program aims to support the careers of outstanding medical scientists who are truly pioneering and changing the field. Newberry is her third physician and researcher to be nominated as a Danforth Scholar.

The University of Washington has a long history of developing and fostering the careers of medical scientists. Due to their work in clinics and extensive research training, physician-scientists are often at the forefront of solving complex medical problems, which can lead to new approaches to diagnosing and treating disease.

Newbery is a gastroenterologist whose research focuses on defining how immune dysfunction in the gut leads to inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. These diseases affect 1.6 million people in the United States alone. He studies how the cells lining the gut, the first line of defense against invading harmful pathogens, can coexist with trillions of friendly gut microbes and foreign food proteins. His research helped clarify the mechanisms by which intestinal immune cells mount an inflammatory response against the body’s own cells.

“Rodney’s work brings new insight into how relatively poorly understood types of epithelial cells contribute to the regulation of host-microbial interactions in the gut, as well as expertise in the study of gut immunity. His work epitomizes what we aspire to be: as a medical scientist.” David H. Perlmutter, MD, Vice Chancellor of the School of Medicine, George and Carol Bauer Deans of the School of Medicine, Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professors. “He seeks new approaches to improve care for patients with inflammatory bowel disease. I am very pleased that the university’s Physician-Scientist Researcher Initiative will help advance his research.”

Newberry is the principal investigator of six grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) focused on investigating the immune system in the gut. The grant will fund innovative research into the behavior of specialized cells called goblet cells that produce mucus in the gut and form a protective barrier against pathogen invasion. His research also shows that goblet cells play a role in chaperoning food antigens in the gut so that the immune system does not mount an attack. It has been suggested as a potential target for novel therapeutics for disease, celiac disease, and food allergy. All of these are caused by an overactive immune system.

Newberry and his colleagues discovered that goblet cells can signal the immune system through a process called goblet cell-associated antigen translocation (GAP). His research shows that infection can inhibit the way he forms GAPs, weakening the immune response.

In addition, he studies that inappropriate inhibition of GAP by microbes and pathogens can predispose to diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease and metabolic syndrome. Newbery also demonstrated the important role of breast milk in preventing sepsis in premature infants. found to activate receptors.

A decade ago, Newbery’s lab also helped develop a new imaging technique that allowed scientists to see the inner workings of a living mouse’s gut in real time. Such imaging allowed Newbery and his colleagues to learn how goblet cells behaved in the gut.

“To advance his research, Dr. Newbery developed a new approach to study how the gut protects against pathogens,” said Dr. Wayne M. Yokoyama, MD,director Department of Medical Science, Sam J. Levin and Audrey Rowe Levin Professor of Arthritis Research, and Associate Dean. “He revolutionized our understanding of the gut immune response by developing a way to visualize what was previously unseen.”

The Physician-Scientist Investigator Initiative is open to MD and MD/PhD researchers who have a proven track record of outstanding research contributions and funding, and who are Associate Professors or Full Professors. The medical school has pledged him $40 million over the next ten years to use as part of a highly competitive package for such candidates. With seed funding from this commitment, the school’s clinical department seeks to attract and retain the most talented physician-scientists in the United States and abroad.

“Dr. Newbury brings a physician’s perspective to his research and a researcher’s perspective to patient care.” Victoria J. Fraser, MD, Professor Adolphus Busch and Dean of Medicine. “Both are full of intellectual curiosity to move the field forward.”

Newberry joined the faculty in 1999 after earning a BS in Biology from the University of Washington and a medical degree from the School of Medicine.

William H. Danforth, MD, president of the University of Washington from 1971 to 1995, was inspired by the Medical Science Initiative. Danforth, now Barnes, was a cardiologist who joined medical school in 1957 after training in medicine and pediatrics at Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital. He rose through the ranks in medical school before moving into administration as Vice Chancellor of Medical Affairs. Along the way, he did basic research in his Cori lab with Nobel laureates Carl and Gertie. During his tenure as president, the University of Washington significantly expanded its resources for scholarship and scientific discovery, completing the transition from a local university to a national research university.

“I am honored and humbled to be nominated for the Danforth Medical Scientist Scholars,” said Newbery. “Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is one of the world’s leading biomedical research institutions and has a long and rich history of developing physician-scientists who have advanced the field of medicine. , to be formally named one of them is the highlight of my career.”