SLU Researcher Receives $2.2 M to Study Link Between Inflammation, Gastric Cancer

ST. LOUIS — A Saint Louis University School of Medicine researcher says Type 2 inflammation, typically associated with allergies and asthma, is a risk factor for developing gastric cancer. 

Rich DiPaolo, Ph.D., professor and interim chair in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, warns that patients with gastritis caused by autoimmunity as well as Helicobacter pylori, a type of bacteria that infects your stomach, may benefit from routine screenings to identify patients with a high risk of progressing to gastric cancer. 

DiPaolo is the principal investigator on a four-year $2.2 million grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to investigate further whether autoimmune gastritis is also a contributing factor for gastric cancer to justify earlier routine screenings in the U.S. and test new therapeutics. This work is an extension of a previous five-year grant. 

DiPaolo says that 1 to 2% of people develop autoimmune gastritis, a condition where the immune system attacks a person’s cell tissue, and a subset may be at risk of developing cancer. Patients with gastric cancer are often diagnosed late, and the probability of surviving more than five years is 33%.

DiPaolo says his lab was the first to use single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq), which allows researchers to understand the similarities and differences of each cell within a field of precancerous lesions from other cells. His team found that precancerous cells have a unique transcriptional profile before they become gastric cancer. Translating these findings into predicting cancer risk could lead to targeted screening, earlier diagnosis, and increased survival of patients with gastric cancer.

DiPaolo says that newer spatial transcriptomics (ST) technology rapidly extends scRNAseq. ST can profile gene expression at a single-cell resolution while maintaining cellular compositions within a tissue. Having expression profiles and tissue organization enables researchers to understand cellular interactions and heterogeneity better, providing insight into complex biological processes that are impossible with traditional sequencing technologies.

DiPaolo’s lab uses ST to compare inflammatory responses between autoimmune disease and infection in the stomach. Graduate student Stella Hoft, the recipient of an NIH 30 training grant, leads the ST project. 

“Many therapeutics have been developed to block Type 2 immune responses to treat people with allergies and asthma,” DiPaolo said. “We've never thought of using those therapeutics to prevent or treat cancer because we didn't know that type of inflammation might be important in driving gastric cancer.”

DiPaolo hopes this project may lead to screening and treating patients with inflammation-driven cancer, saving lives.

About SLU School of Medicine

Established in 1836, Saint Louis University School of Medicine has the distinction of awarding the first medical degree west of the Mississippi River. The school educates physicians and biomedical scientists, conducts medical research, and provides health care on a local, national and international level. Research at the school seeks new cures and treatments in five key areas: infectious disease, liver disease, cancer, heart/lung disease, and aging and brain disorders.