Defining the role of ROCK in necrotizing enterocolitis

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the most common gastrointestinal emergency of newborns. While the pathophysiology that leads to NEC remain unclear, prematurity, formula feeding and microbial factors are established risk factors. Current treatment approaches are limited to bowel rest, antibiotics, and in severe cases surgical resection of necrotic bowel. The nonspecific nature of these therapies reflects the fact that NEC pathogenesis is, essentially, undefined. Delineation of the processes responsible for NEC is, therefore, a high priority and prerequisite to development meaningful medical interventions to prevent or treat NEC. I am a pediatric surgeon whose long-term goal is to define the molecular events surrounding the epithelial pathophysiology of NEC in order to develop and identify therapies that prevent or cure disease.