Edwards receives Oxnard Foundation Grant

Le Bonheur Gastroenterologist Price Edwards, MD, received a grant from the Oxnard Foundation for his project “Downstream Analysis of Upper Gastrointestinal Biopsies in Pediatric Patients.” Many disorders that cause pain and abnormal motor activity of the stomach are poorly understood. New technologies allow analysis of gastrointestinal samples to identify the genetic activity in individual cells of the tissue.

Pediatric samples from the stomach have not yet been used for this type of analysis. By using biopsies from patients already undergoing a scope for clinical care, Edwards will use these samples to solidify preparation procedures and reveal differences between the regions of stomach. This data will then be used to compare in different disease states to show how genetics and protein production may cause these disorders. Better understanding of these disorders will improve both diagnosis and treatment.