The intestinal tract’s role is pivotal across several domains: development, regeneration, immunity, and nutrition. Yet, the intricate details of its development and functionality are largely uncharted territories. Our research is at the forefront of exploring these domains, including how neonatal enterocytes engage in metabolic dialogue with microbiota and immune cells to establish homeostasis.
We employ a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach to unravel the molecular mechanisms driving the formation, patterning, and metabolism that underpin intestinal morphogenesis and homeostasis. Our ultimate goal is to gain a holistic understanding of these molecular processes, providing groundbreaking insights and identifying new pharmaceutical targets for treating human diseases.
Our primary aims include:
• Deciphering cyclin B1’s role in mitotic spindle orientation during cell division and its impact on carcinoma progression in intestinal tissues.
• Investigating the function of neonatal lysosome-rich enterocytes (NEs) in the initial stages of development and metabolism.
• Unpacking the metabolic interplay between microbiota, epithelial cells, and immune cells in maintaining intestinal equilibrium.
• Analyzing the epithelialization processes of stem cells and their implications for embryonic and intestinal lumen formation in both health and disease contexts.
By integrating gut-on-a-chip models with in vivo systems, we aim to revolutionize the understanding of gut morphogenesis and its links to pathologies, including cancer.
Our research is set to transition from bench to bedside through collaborations with the Ramón y Cajal Hospital Institute for Health Research (IRYCIS-Madrid), where we will examine the expression of these proteins in human epithelial tumors to inform potential clinical studies on tumor progression.