A new .2 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 grant is helping w88 online casino betting, Reno School of Medicine (UNR Med) researchers delve into one of the body’s most fascinating processes — how the stomach works to digest food. This multi-year grant, awarded over five years starting in January 2025, provides significant funding for professors of physiology and cell biology, Sean Ward, Ph.D., and Kenton Sanders, Ph.D., toexplore the mechanisms behind human gastric motility, a crucial function that allows the stomach to break down and move food through the digestive system.
While we all rely on our stomachs to process food daily, the science behind how this organ works is complex and still poorly understood. In fact, many people suffer from conditions where the stomach's natural movements go awry, leading to painful disorders like gastroparesis (delayed stomach emptying) and functional dyspepsia (chronic indigestion). Unfortunately, effective treatments for these conditions remain limited. This research aims to change that by investigating the electrical and mechanical activity within human gastric muscles.
Harnessing bariatric surgery samples for research
Ward and Sanders are studying tissue samples taken from patients who undergo bariatric surgery, a procedure that helps individuals with obesity restore healthier body functions. These samples provide an invaluable opportunity to study human gastric muscles up close, something that is usually done using animal models, which may not fully capture the intricacies of human digestion.
“Gastric motility disorders are more common in women and often become more pronounced with age,” Sanders explained. “Yet, we don’t fully understand why this is the case or how to fix it. This project will allow us to study human gastric muscles in ways that were previously impossible.”
The research will focus on three main objectives:
- Mapping the muscle's structure and function:By examining the cells responsible for the stomach's electrical activity, the researchers will better understand how the stomach maintains a suitable pattern of contractions for efficient digestion.
- Understanding how pacemaker activity works:Just like the heart, the stomach has a “pacemaker” that generates electrical signals to trigger muscle contractions. This research will explore how those signals propagate through the stomach to help break down food.
- Exploring how certain cells impact gastric function:By investigating the role of specific cells in regulating the stomach's electrical and mechanical activity, Ward and Sanders hope to uncover new ways to target and treat motility disorders.
Using cutting-edge techniques like intracellular microelectrode recordings and gene expression studies, the team will track the electrical signals that govern the stomach’s contractions and examine how these slow waves are generated and controlled. Their goal is to develop a deeper understanding of what causes the stomach’s complex movements and how these processes can go wrong in people with digestive issues.
Importance of this research for public health
While it’s easy to take digestion for granted, it plays a key role in overall health. If the stomach doesn’t properly break down food, it can lead to a cascade of other health problems. By learning more about how the stomach’s pacemaker and muscle systems work, Ward and Sanders hope to find more effective treatments for gastric motility disorders, potentially improving the quality of life for millions of people worldwide.
But the research also comes at a timely moment. New weight-loss drugs, like GLP-1R agonists, are becoming more common and could reduce the need for bariatric surgery in the future. As a result, the opportunity to study human gastric tissue may decrease, making this research even more critical.
“While it’s great that we’re developing new therapies to help people with obesity, we still need to fully understand the mechanisms behind gastric motility disorders,” Ward added. “This research could lead to breakthrough treatments for conditions that affect a significant portion of the population, and we’re excited to be at the forefront of this important work.”
A bright future for digestive health
The NIH grant provides an important opportunity for UNR Med to continue its commitment to advancing biomedical science and improving health care. By unlocking the mysteries of human gastric motility, Ward and Sanders hope to pave the way for better treatments that could bring relief to people struggling with digestive issues—and ultimately, improve overall health and well-being.
