Sara Botschuijver, MSc
Tytgat Institute for Liver and Intestinal Research Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Title: Intestinal Fungal Dysbiosis Is Associated With Visceral Hypersensitivity in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Rats. Gastroenterology 2017;153:1026–1039
Sara Botschuijver, is currently finishing her PhD at the Tytgat Institute for Liver and Intestinal Research at the Academic Medical Center in the Netherlands under the supervision of dr Rene van der Wijngaard in the neuro motility group of Wouter de Jonge. Her PhD research was centered on the role of intestinal fungi in the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). One of the hallmarks of IBS is visceral hypersensitivity, which is suspected to represent the pathological process behind the abdominal pain observed in most of IBS patients. The PhD research of Sara showed that fungal recognition is important in the development of visceral hypersensitivity. Because this mechanism is a novel observation, the research could open up new treatment options for abdominal pain in IBS.