Expertise
Cell Biology, Digestive Diseases, Nanomedicine in intestinal inflammation
Bio
Didier Merlin's research area is the study of intestinal epithelia, as directly related to intestinal bowel disease (IBD). Over one million adults and children in the U.S., including members of the VA population, suffer from IBD, and about 50,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. The VA IBD patients have a much higher rate of colorectal cancer compared to the general population. New therapeutic strategies based on a better understanding of the pathogenesis of IBD will improve the clinical care of veteran and non-veteran patients with this disorder.