Colonna Lab members receive AGA funding

Martina Molgora, PhD, Instructor of Pathology & Immunology and a member of the Colonna Lab, and Siyan Cao, MD, PhD, a postdoctoral research associate in the Colonna Lab, have received funding from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) through the organization’s annual AGA Research Foundation Awards Program. The program serves as a career catalyst for the most promising researchers in gastroenterology and hepatology, AGA said on its website.

“This year’s recipients are determined to make an impact on digestive health care through their research,” said Michael Camilleri, MD, AGAF, chair, AGA Research Foundation. “We are honored to support these talented individuals at a critical stage in their careers and research projects. We look forward to seeing their great accomplishments.”

Dr. Molgora received a the AGA-Gastric Cancer Foundation Ben Feinstein Memorial Research Scholar Award in Gastric Cancer.

Dr. Cao received the AGA-Bristol Myers Squibb Fellowship-to-Faculty Transition Award. The award helps Dr. Cao further his research on perianal fistulizing Crohn’s disease (CD). “Perianal fistulizing CD is a common and debilitating complication, whose etiology remains unknown and management has been very challenging. The AGA-Bristol Myers Squibb Fellowship-to-Faculty Transition Award will give me the chance to define the host and microbial responses of perianal CD, which may help develop novel targeted therapies of this debilitating condition,” said Dr. Cao.