TMC Digestive Diseases Center

The @EstesLab_BCM et al have achieved a #breakthrough on #HumanNorovirus #research that accelerates viral studies and development of #vaccines and treatments. #HumanIntestinalEnteroids @ScienceAdvances @bcmhouston @tmcddc @BCMCancerCenter @BCMGradSchool blogs.bcm.edu/2026/02/05/fro…

We are excited to share a breakthrough in #Norovirus research today! Inhibiting chemokine receptor signaling enables sustained GII.3 HuNoV replication and passaging in human intestinal enteroids, read here: science.org/doi/10.1126/sc…

News report on this study: medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-m… @BCMFromtheLabs @tmcddc @ScienceAdvances

It's #DDC symposium time!! We want you to share your digestive disease research at our annual conference! Please submit your abstract by 🗓️ January 16th 🗓️ to be considered. #Nutrition, #Metabolism, and the #Microbiome takes place on February 28th - see y'all then 🤠

PhD in scampering

When gut imbalance turns into whole-body inflammation This figure shows how an unhealthy gut microbiome can set off a chain reaction that affects metabolism, hormones, and nearly every major organ system. When the gut barrier weakens, bacterial toxins leak into the bloodstream, driving a cycle of chronic inflammation, hormonal resistance, and metabolic dysfunction. 1️⃣ From balance to breakdown A healthy gut microbiota produces short-chain fatty acids and bile acid derivatives that regulate appetite, blood sugar, and immunity. Poor diet and nutrient overload disrupt this balance, reducing beneficial bacteria and allowing harmful species to dominate. 🟢 Example: Loss of SCFA-producing microbes weakens the intestinal barrier and reduces signals like GLP-1 that help control hunger and glucose levels. 2️⃣ Leaky gut and metabolic endotoxemia When the gut lining becomes permeable, bacterial fragments such as LPS (lipopolysaccharides) enter the bloodstream and activate immune receptors. The result is a state of chronic low-grade inflammation. 🟢 Example: Elevated LPS stimulates immune cells to release TNF-α and IL-6, cytokines that cause insulin resistance and fat storage. 3️⃣ Adipose tissue and hormone disruption Inflamed fat tissue releases inflammatory cytokines and interferes with hormones that regulate appetite and metabolism. 🟢 Example: Leptin resistance blunts satiety signals in the brain, promoting overeating, while cortisol and insulin changes reinforce fat accumulation. 4️⃣ Systemic effects beyond the gut Inflammation from the gut spreads to the liver, pancreas, muscles, and brain, disrupting organ function. 🟢 Example: In the liver, it promotes fatty liver disease; in the pancreas, it impairs insulin secretion; in the brain, it contributes to mood and appetite dysregulation. 5️⃣ Metaflammation — the chronic loop Persistent gut inflammation evolves into metaflammation, a systemic state of metabolic stress that underlies obesity, insulin resistance, infertility, and neuroinflammation. 🟢 Example: This feedback loop connects gut health directly to weight regulation, reproductive function, and cognitive decline. In short, gut dysbiosis doesn’t stay in the gut. It fuels a metabolic storm that links poor diet and inflammation to obesity, hormonal imbalance, and disease throughout the body. Citation: Tian, Y., Xu, Z., Li, S., et al. Metaflammation: Chronic low-grade inflammation in metabolic disorders. Pharmacological Research, 2023; 187:106552.

Our JANUARY ISSUE is live! Proteases and the gut, IL-1 cytokines, liver and pancreas organoids, cholangiocarcinoma, liver cell atlas and much more! nature.com/nrgastro/volum…

This is wild! Scientists used liposuction to suck out ordinary white fat cells...then used CRISPR to turn into “beige” fat cells, which voraciously consume calories to make heat. Then, they implanted them near tumors the way plastic surgeons inject fat from one part of the body to plump up another. The fat cells scarfed up all the nutrients, starving most of the tumor cells to death. These cells wiped out breast, colon, pancreatic, and prostate cancers by depleting shared resources. They even used patient fat from mastectomies to target their own breast cancer. Why Fat?: Easy to harvest (liposuction), edit, and reimplant safely – biocompatible, no migration risks. Full article below 👇

Evidence suggests that transcriptionally similar cells can be functionally diverse go.nature.com/3MOHJqp

Merry Christmas from our GI research team 🎄🎅 Very grateful for this group of researchers who work hard everyday to advance science and improve patient health globally and in our underserved Houston population. @bcm_gihep @BCMGlobalPgrms @tmcddc

Congratulations to Dr. Fouad Jaber on the new publication 🎉! Tackling an insightful #GI related topic alongside other @BCMDeptMedicine faculty members. Read here: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41110136/ @bcm_gihep @tmcddc @TexasGastros

TODAY @ 4PM CST ✈️ We welcome Dr. Ken Lau from @VUmedicine🥳 For this seminar, he will discuss his lab's findings regarding tissue damage, #inflammation, and #precancerous indications in the proximal #colon. Please join us in person at @bcmhouston or tune in via Teams!

TODAY @ 4PM CST! 📸 Please join Dr. Michael James Bolt, the Technical Director of the Integrated #Microscopy Core, for a deep dive on how our high-tech #imaging devices and analysis can support your research! 🔬 See you in person or on Teams!

🚨AGA guideline alert🚨 New Clinical Practice Guideline on the Management of Gastroparesis gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-… @AmerGastroAssn @AGA_Gastro @drkylestaller @margaretzhou @GreerKatar8819 @shailsingh A summary and some reflections to follow👇

TODAY @ 4PM CST ‼️ Join us for another crash course on our services! Dr. James Versalovic introduces the Functional #Genomics and #Microbiome Core, which developed a multi-omics analysis platform for #digestive #disease investigations. 🦠 We'll see you in person or on Teams! 🎤

Big congrats to our GI Fellows Drs. Emmanuel Palomera Tejeda, Jinna Chu, and Conrad Fernandes for earning 2nd place in the ASGE Golden Scope Competition! 🏆✨ Out of 65 teams worldwide, they brought home the silver. Way to represent BCM! 👏

TODAY @ 4PM CST! Join us for Dr. David Corry's discussion of #gut #fungi and how they can spread to other parts of the body, thus causing diseases. 🦠 Here, Dr. Corry will draw links between gut fungi and #neurodegenerative diseases. You don't want to miss this seminar! 🧠

We're BACK with our Thursday seminar series! 🪩 After a summer of inspiring conferences, Dr. @MimiTanMD kicks off the season introducing our Study Design & Clinical Research Core! 🧠 #TMC #DDC is here to elevate your #gastroenterology and #hepatology research! 💃

Big news: BCM & UTHealth Houston received a $5.9M NIH grant to launch the Houston Nutrition & Obesity Research Center (H-NORC), one of only 11 centers nationwide! Congrats to Drs. Mark Herman, Kristin Eckel-Mahan & the whole team leading this effort.

Big congrats to @MarkHermanMD and the the new Houston NORC leadership team! Exciting to have another NIDDK research center along with our Texas Medical Center Digestive Diseases Center @tmcddc on campus.