Defining the functional pathology of Hirschsprung Disease
- Research Opportunity
- Honours students
- Number of Honour Places Available
- 1
- Department / Centre
- Paediatrics
- Location
- Royal Children’s Hospital/Murdoch Childrens Research Institute
Primary Supervisor | Number | Webpage | |
---|---|---|---|
Associate Professor Sebastian King | sebastian.king@rch.org.au | 0433994110 |
Co-supervisor | Number | Webpage | |
---|---|---|---|
Dr Simona Carbone | simona.carbone @monash.edu | ||
Dr Daniel Poole | daniel.poole@monash.edu |
Summary Hirschsprung disease (HD) is an intestinal motility disorder that is typically diagnosed in infants. This project focuses upon understanding the what cell types, other than neurons, are affected in HD.
Project Details
Hirschsprung disease (HD) is an intestinal motility disorder that is typically diagnosed in infants. Enteric nerve cells (neurons) control intestinal motility and in HD these neurons fail to develop in the last portion of the large bowel. The absence of these neurons means that content cannot move passed this region and patients develop constipation that is prolonged and does not resolve. Surgical management is the only treatment option for this disease. Resection of this region and reattachment to a segment of bowel where the enteric neurons are present is considered to be a ‘cure’. However, many patients continue to suffer with lifelong intestinal motility disorders, such as constipation or faecal incontinence, following this intervention. Thus, the absence of enteric neurons is not the only mechanism that negatively impacts colonic function in HD. This lack of basic knowledge about HD pathology is limiting effective treatment options for patients.
Faculty Research Themes
School Research Themes
Child Health in Medicine, Neuroscience & Psychiatry
Research Opportunities
Honours students
Students who are interested in joining this project will need to consider their elegibility as well as other requirements before contacting the supervisor of this research
Key Contact
For further information about this research, please contact a supervisor.
Department / Centre
Research Node
Royal Children’s Hospital/Murdoch Childrens Research InstituteMDHS Research library
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