Ken Croitoru

Last updated
Ken Croitoru
Known for inflammatory bowel disease
Scientific career
Fields Gastroenterology
Institutions Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, University of Toronto

Ken Croitoru is a Canadian gastroenterologist who works at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, a scientist at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, and a professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He is best known for his leadership of the Genetic, Environmental, Microbial (GEM) Project, a comprehensive research initiative aiming to understand the triggers of Crohn's disease. [1] [2]

Contents

Career

Croitoru is a 1981 graduate of McGill University Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. [3] He did post-doctoral training with John Bienenstock at McMaster University Medical School. [4]

Croitoru is a gastroenterologist at Mount Sinai Hospital, and also serves as a scientist at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute. [5]

Croitoru is the lead investigator and architect of the GEM Project, which was launched in 2008. The project's purpose is to uncover the potential triggers of Crohn's disease by monitoring first-degree relatives of Crohn's patients. These individuals do not have the disease themselves but are at a higher risk of developing it. [1]

Research findings

Under Croitoru's guidance, the GEM Project has made significant strides in Crohn's disease research. For instance, the team has discovered indications of barrier dysfunction, also known as "leaky gut," occurring before the onset of the disease. The researchers also identified specific bacteria that appear to be significantly different in people who develop the disease compared to those who do not. [5]

The work of the GEM Project, under the leadership of Croitoru, has significantly advanced the understanding of Crohn's disease and has the potential to improve prevention and treatment strategies. [1] [2]

Awards and recognition

Croitoru is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Inflammatory bowel diseases. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crohn's disease</span> Type of inflammatory bowel disease

Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms often include abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, abdominal distension, and weight loss. Complications outside of the gastrointestinal tract may include anemia, skin rashes, arthritis, inflammation of the eye, and fatigue. The skin rashes may be due to infections as well as pyoderma gangrenosum or erythema nodosum. Bowel obstruction may occur as a complication of chronic inflammation, and those with the disease are at greater risk of colon cancer and small bowel cancer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulcerative colitis</span> Inflammatory bowel disease that causes ulcers in the colon

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is one of the two types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), with the other type being Crohn's disease. It is a long-term condition that results in inflammation and ulcers of the colon and rectum. The primary symptoms of active disease are abdominal pain and diarrhea mixed with blood (hematochezia). Weight loss, fever, and anemia may also occur. Often, symptoms come on slowly and can range from mild to severe. Symptoms typically occur intermittently with periods of no symptoms between flares. Complications may include abnormal dilation of the colon (megacolon), inflammation of the eye, joints, or liver, and colon cancer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inflammatory bowel disease</span> Medical condition

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of inflammatory conditions of the colon and small intestine, with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (UC) being the principal types. Crohn's disease affects the small intestine and large intestine, as well as the mouth, esophagus, stomach and the anus, whereas UC primarily affects the colon and the rectum.

Mount Sinai Hospital (MSH) is a hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Mount Sinai is part of Sinai Health. Sinai Health was formed through the voluntary amalgamation of Mount Sinai Hospital and Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital on January 22, 2015.

Lawrence M. Tanenbaum is a Canadian businessman and chairman of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE). He owns a 25% stake in MLSE through his holding company Kilmer Sports Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burrill Bernard Crohn</span> American gastroenterologist

Burrill Bernard Crohn was an American gastroenterologist who made the first major advance to identify Crohn's disease, which now bears his name. Although the description of Crohn's disease is by far his most famous accomplishment, Crohn had a long career both as a clinician and as a researcher who contributed to modern understanding of many gastrointestinal conditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute</span>

The Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute is a medical research institute in Toronto, Ontario and part of the Sinai Health System. It was originally established in 1985 as the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, the research arm of Mount Sinai Hospital, by an endowment from the Lunenfeld and Kunin families. It was renamed to the current name on June 24, 2013, after a $35 million donation from Larry and Judy Tanenbaum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biological therapy for inflammatory bowel disease</span>

Biological therapy, the use of medications called biopharmaceuticals or biologics that are tailored to specifically target an immune or genetic mediator of disease, plays a major role in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. Even for diseases of unknown cause, molecules that are involved in the disease process have been identified, and can be targeted for biological therapy. Many of these molecules, which are mainly cytokines, are directly involved in the immune system. Biological therapy has found a niche in the management of cancer, autoimmune diseases, and diseases of unknown cause that result in symptoms due to immune related mechanisms.

The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation is a volunteer fueled non-profit organization in the US that works to fund research to find cures for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these digestive diseases. Founded by Shelby and William Modell, Suzanne and Irwin Rosenthal, and Dr. Henry Janowitz, it was launched publicly on September 12, 1967, as the National Foundation for Ileitis and Colitis. It was incorporated on December 17, 1965. The Foundation serves millions of patients diagnosed with IBD in the U.S., through its national headquarters in NYC, and more than 30 chapters nationwide.

John L. Wallace is a medical scientist and was the founder of the Inflammation Research Network at The University of Calgary and inaugural director of the Farncombe Institute at McMaster University. In November 2013, he became the tenth recipient of the Heymans Foundation Memorial Medal. Since its inauguration in 1972, the Medal had been awarded twelve times; six of the recipients are Nobel Laureates. Wallace is also the 2009 recipient of the Premier's Summit Award in Innovation, Canada's largest value research award aimed at supporting the work of an individual scientist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lloyd Mayer</span> American gastroenterologist (1952–2013)

Lloyd Mayer was an American gastroenterologist and immunologist. He was Professor and Co-Director of the Immunology institute at the Mount Sinai Medical Center, now known as the Marc and Jennifer Lipschultz Precision Immunology Institute.

Graham Leon Collingridge is a British neuroscientist and professor at the University of Toronto and at the University of Bristol. He is also a senior investigator at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andras Nagy</span>

Andras Nagy is a research scientist at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Ontario. He heads a team of 50 researchers on Project Grandiose, who study the process of creating stem cells. Nagy holds a Canadian Research Chair in stem cells and regeneration.

Bruce E. Sands is an American gastroenterologist, focusing in colonoscopy, Crohn's disease, inflammatory bowl disease, ulcerative colitis and upper GI endoscopy, currently the Dr. Burrill B. Crohn Professor of Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and is an Elected Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology and American Gastroenterological Association.

David T. Rubin is an American Gastroenterologist and Educator. He is the Joseph B. Kirsner Professor of Medicine and Professor of Pathology at the University of Chicago, where he is also the Chief of the Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. He also serves as the Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease group at the University of Chicago. He is also an associate faculty member at the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics, associate investigator at the University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center and a member of the University of Chicago Committee on Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenomics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sinai Health System</span> Hospital in Ontario, Canada

The Sinai Health System is a hospital system which serves Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It comprises two hospitals, Mount Sinai Hospital and Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital, both affiliated with the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine.

Dana Philpott is a professor of immunology at the University of Toronto.

Henry David Janowitz (1915-2008) was professor emeritus of gastroenterology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is known for his contributions into inflammatory bowel diseases and being a leader in the Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Woodgett</span> British-born Researcher

James (Jim) Woodgett is a British-born biologist and the Principal Investigator of an active research laboratory at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was the Koffler Director of Research at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute from November 2005 to January 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aleixo Muise</span> Canadian scientist and physician

Aleixo M. Muise is a Canadian scientist, pediatrician and gastroenterologist known for contributions to the understanding of very early onset inflammatory bowel disease. He is a professor of pediatrics at the University of Toronto, a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease, and a pediatric gastroenterologist at the Hospital for Sick Children.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Study Into the Causes of Crohn's Disease Hits Major Milestone". The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  2. 1 2 "The Crohn's and Colitis Canada Genetic, Environmental, Microbial (GEM) Project". Crohn's and Colitis Canada. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  3. "Kenneth Croitoru | Gastroenterologist". Zane Cohen Centre. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  4. "Croitoru Lab". Mount Sinai Hospital -- University of Toronto. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  5. 1 2 "Nature vs. Nurture". Sinai Health. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  6. "Canada Research Chair in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases". Canada Research Chairs. Retrieved 2023-05-12.