Dr. Cheng Awarded NIH Grant to Study Hirschsprung Disease

Lily Cheng, M.D., was awarded a grant of $835,000 spread over five years by the National Institutes of Health to study bowel dysfunction in Hirschsprung disease.

The project looks at how biomechanical forces affect gastrointestinal function, particularly in the context of Hirschsprung disease (a congenital neurointestinal disease that affects 1 in 5000 babies). Even after surgery for Hirschsprung disease, many patients still suffer from poor bowel function. Cheng and other researchers hypothesize that biomechanical forces, such as stretch and distention, influence the microenvironment of the intestine to affect gastrointestinal function in Hirschsprung disease and other gastrointestinal diseases. With this project, they hope to better understand many common pediatric gastrointestinal diseases and to discover new ways to treat them. 

Research supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number K08DK133673.