The Mayo Clinic Center for Cell Signaling in Gastroenterology supports research that is critically important for furthering understanding of the mechanisms underlying digestive diseases and translating this knowledge into practical applications for the diagnosis, prevention, monitoring and treatment of disease.
The mission of the Mayo Clinic Center for Cell Signaling in Gastroenterology is to improve understanding of the signaling pathways that control the function of gastrointestinal cells in health and disease.
The goals of the Mayo Clinic Center for Cell Signaling in Gastroenterology are to support and enhance digestive disease research by:
- Fostering collaborative, multidisciplinary research both by expanding the technical and collaborative capabilities of established GI scientists and by attracting investigators from other disciplines
- Promoting synergistic interaction among Mayo Clinic investigators through activities that support digestive disease-related research and promote translation of basic science discoveries into clinical research
- Developing and implementing a robust and diverse Education Program that includes seminars, workshops, symposia, and Web-based curricula
- Identifying and nurturing development of new investigators interested in digestive disease research via a rigorously peer-reviewed Pilot and Feasibility Program
- Creating a supportive infrastructure that makes technologies more easily accessible; providing technical expertise to members from experts in a particular technology; using existing resources efficiently; and developing novel methodologies through three linked biomedical center cores
Before the launch of the Center for Cell Signaling in Gastroenterology (C-SiG), digestive disease research at Mayo Clinic was often organized by organ or disease, reinforcing a silo-like approach to scientific collaborations. Realizing the limitations of this approach, the center leadership reorganized investigators into three highly focused, dynamic, interactive research themes focused on mechanisms of cellular and molecular processes, as opposed to specific organ physiology and cell types. The current themes are:
Intracellular Signaling, including:
Cell-to-Cell Communication, including:
Genetics & Epigenetics, including:
In addition to the research themes, the faculty in the Center for Cell Signaling in Gastroenterology are also organized into three disease focus areas of long-standing strength at Mayo Clinic:
Enteric neurosciences and motility, including:
Liver pathobiology, including:
Inflammation and cell transformation, including:
While the emphasis of the Mayo Clinic Center for Cell Signaling in Gastroenterology is on supporting the research themes, the disease focus areas set the stage for translating basic science discoveries to human disease by providing structure and the opportunity for additional collaboration and synergy. The disease focus areas provide a forum for basic scientists and clinicians to exchange information and form collaborative alliances. These relationships are beneficial to basic scientists, who need tissues from rare disease states and need the help of clinicians to identify potential patients. The clinicians, in turn, benefit from collaboration with basic scientists who can perform pilot studies of research ideas generated from patient care.
Cores
Shared resources (cores) foster productivity, synergy and new research ideas and techniques in an efficient, cost-effective manner. The Mayo Clinic Center for Cell Signaling in Gastroenterology offers specialized equipment, technologies, methodologies, reagents and expertise to assist its faculty members and their research teams through three cores:
Clinical Core
The Clinical Core of the Mayo Clinic Center for Cell Signaling in Gastroenterology supports faculty research by facilitating access to human biospecimens through two primary objectives:
Director
The director of the Clinical Core is Lisa A. Boardman, M.D.
Services
The Clinical Core offers several services, primarily to Mayo Clinic Center for Cell Signaling in Gastroenterology faculty and their laboratory team members, including:
Access
Research teams from NIDDK-funded Digestive Disease Research Core Centers outside of Mayo Clinic may access select core services as resources permit by emailing requests to rstcsig@mayo.edu.
Gene Editing and Cell Engineering Core
The Gene Editing and Cell Engineering Core of the Mayo Clinic Center for Cell Signaling in Gastroenterology is a central repository for gene editing expertise and supports faculty research through three primary objectives:
Director
The director of the Gene Editing and Cell Engineering Core is Stephen C. Ekker, Ph.D.
Services
The Gene Editing and Cell Engineering Core offers a variety of services, primarily to Mayo Clinic Center for Cell Signaling in Gastroenterology faculty and their laboratory members, including:
Access
Researchers outside of Mayo Clinic may access Gene Editing and Cell Engineering Core TALEN services or training by emailing requests to rstcsig@mayo.edu.
Optical Microscopy Core
The Optical Microscopy Core of the Center for Mayo Clinic Center for Cell Signaling in Gastroenterology provides essential optical technologies and applications expertise to support faculty research through three primary objectives:
Director
The director of the Optical Microscopy Core is Mark A. McNiven, Ph.D.
Services
The Optical Microscopy Core offers a variety of services, primarily to the Mayo Clinic Center for Cell Signaling in Gastroenterology faculty and their laboratory members, such as consults and training on a variety of topics, including:
Access
Research teams from NIDDK-funded Digestive Diseases Research Core Centers outside of Mayo Clinic may access select core services as resources permit by emailing requests to rstcsig@mayo.edu.
Center for Cell Signaling in Gastroenterology (C-SiG)
Mayo Clinic
Mayo Building, 9th Floor
200 First St. SW
Rochester, MN 55905
Email: rstcsig@mayo.edu
Development inquiries:
Department of Development
Mayo Clinic
200 First St. SW
Rochester, MN 55905
Phone: 507-284-8540 or 800-297-1185 (toll-free)
http://www.mayo.edu/research/centers-programs/center-cell-signaling-gastroenterology-c-sig