2022 Graduate Studies Entrance Award
Project title: Metabolic trade-off promotes the fitness of Crohn's Disease-associated Escherichia coli in the gut
How would you describe your research project to someone without a scientific background?
Crohn’s disease (CD) is an inflammatory bowel disease that has recently been on the rise. The disease is characterized by shifts in the composition of the gut microbiome, or community of gut bacteria. Recent evidence suggests that a group of Escherichia coli, known as adherent-invasive E.coli (AIEC), is a common risk factor for CD. My project focuses on genetic metabolic adaptations that evolve in AIEC and increase their fitness in the gut environment. For more information, please visit: www.elhenawylab.com/
What impact do you hope this project makes once completed?
I hope my project will identify unique genetic markers that help characterize adherent-invasive E. coli and ultimately contribute to our understanding of how AIEC plays a role in the origin and development of Crohn's Disease.
How has the support from Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology helped you?
The sense of community and support from the professors, staff and students is one of the most helpful things about the LKSIoV. It helps me stay enthusiastic about research.
What first attracted you to science?
Since elementary school, science has always been my favorite subject. More recently, what attracts me to science is that it allows us to explore the unexplored and make discoveries that contribute to our understanding of complex topics.
What has been the greatest lesson you have learned while doing your research?
Things don’t always go as you hoped they would; however, you learn the most from making mistakes. It’s what allows you to better yourself in the future.
What is your favorite distraction or hobby?
I really enjoy watching movies and playing guitar.
If you could live in any other time, when might that be?
I would like to go back in time to the ancient Egyptian civilization era. There are so many mysteries surrounding how they lived. I would love to know the truth about them.