Expanding the toolkit for a more comprehensive evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of pediatric IBD
Gastrointestinal symptoms occur frequently in children, especially children with an autism spectrum disorder. GI symptoms suggestive of inflammatory bowel disease usually need to be confirmed with upper endoscopy, colonoscopy, and biopsy. Although histologic evaluation of intestinal biopsy tissue remains the gold standard for diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease, there exists a clinical need for additional diagnostic tools to characterize the molecular features unique to each type of IBD.
Stephen J. Walker, PhD, PhD
Two of the key difficulties in diagnosing and treating autism spectrum disorders are: (1) a lack of biological/molecular criteria to aid in diagnosis and, (2) a lack of understanding of the biological mechanisms that underlie this complex set of disorders. Dr. Walker’s current research focuses on using molecular tools, including whole-genome microarrays, to try to better understand the biological basis for autism spectrum disorders and co-morbid medical conditions.
