About the Lab

The Gastrointestinal Barrier Function Laboratory of Madhusudan (Madhu) Grover, M.B.B.S., at Mayo Clinic is focused on advancing the mechanistic understanding of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other functional gastrointestinal disorders and testing novel therapeutic targets.

Dr. Grover's research, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health, is targeted to understand the role of gastrointestinal barrier and microbiota in pathogenesis of IBS after intestinal inflammation (enteritis) caused by infection with Campylobacter jejuni, and to study host-pathogen interactions with C. jejuni.

The team's goal is to better understand the mechanics and pathophysiology of IBS after C. jejuni infection, lay the foundation for identifying at-risk individuals, and develop interventions to decrease the incidence of this type of IBS.

Dr. Grover's research team is developing new tools for assessment of in vivo intestinal permeability and ex vivo mucosal barrier function, which may help improve patient care by providing diagnostic tools and allowing development of more-effective treatments.

Additionally, the lab conducts clinical pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetic studies — among other clinical trials — on functional dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome, with the goal of providing in-depth, individualized clinical phenotyping of patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders.