The ASPIRE Path in Molecular Medicine

There are two overarching goals, as of now, for my research plans. The first involves investigating the mechanism through which an innate immune component, STING, may mediate gastric carcinogenesis following H. pylori infection. I will be using both in vitro and in vivo models to define differences between uninfected and infected populations, in conjunction with different methodologies including flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, and microscopy. The second component of my research plan is a translational aspect, using a longitudinal prospectively followed 20-year human cohort from Colombia. Colombia is one of the subset of countries that are disproportionately affected by H. pylori and gastric cancer. I will be analyzing gastric tissue and H. pylori strains obtained at different time points from individuals who have either developed premalignant gastric lesions or remained stable. This analysis, which includes the use of spatial transcriptomics techniques, will contribute to the mechanistic understanding of disease progression and of epidemiological factors leading to an increased incidence of cancer.