ASPEN 2019 Research Workshop (RW) The Relationship between the Intestinal Barrier and Chronic Disease - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The ASPEN Research Workshop (RW) is a highly successful and scientifically respected
international conference bringing together basic scientists, nutrition researchers and clinicians.
The 2019 RW “The Relationship between the Intestinal Barrier and Chronic Diseases” will focus
on the intestinal epithelial barrier and the development and progression of chronic diseases.
The intestinal epithelium is involved in the development and progression of chronic inflammatory
diseases. A compromised intestinal epithelial barrier is associated with a variety of chronic
inflammatory diseases affecting multiple organ systems and involving all life-stages. A healthy
intestinal microbiota educates and maintains the host intestinal health and immune system. In
situations of dysbiosis, there is altered intestinal epithelial barrier function that is linked to
numerous acute and chronic diseases, likely through increased paracellular permeability, thus
allowing translocation of antigens and pathogens from the intestinal lumen into the host. As a
result, a self-propagating inflammatory cascade is triggered, promoting the development and
persistence of disease, such as type 1 and 2 diabetes and obesity, intestinal disorders such as
celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease, and neurologic disorders such as autism,
Parkinson’s disease. The 2019 RW will bring together researchers from ASPEN and from the
fields of Gastroenterology, Pathobiology, Nutrition, and Neurology. The 2019 RW topic has key
relevance to ASPEN researchers and clinicians given the impact of chronic inflammatory
disease on public health and healthcare costs.
The aims of the 2019 ASPEN RW are: 1) To bring together basic scientists and clinicians from
a range of disciplines and levels of training and experience, with a focus on clinically relevant,
and cutting-edge research relating to the mechanisms by which the intestinal barrier modulates
the risk for chronic inflammatory diseases. 2) To support translational science by fostering
communication and collaboration among interdisciplinary researchers and clinicians to bring
research from bench to bed-side. 3) To provide opportunities for mentorship of early career
researchers/scientists and trainees. 4) To disseminate the 2019 RW activities and information to
the broader scientific community. The 2019 RW will achieve these aims, having focused on a
rapidly evolving scientific field with broad clinical relevance. Through interdisciplinary
collaborations and our success in prior workshops; the 2019 RW has a well-founded
precedence of success in knowledge translation, to advance the science of patient care.
