Defining immune-epithelial communication
in esophageal disease

The Choksi Lab studies esophageal cancer and eosinophilic esophagitis. Esophageal cancer is the 11th most common cancer worldwide. In the United States, it is often diagnosed at late stages. As such, the five-year relative survival rate is only 21.9%, and the median survival is only 15 months. Eosinophilic Esophagitis is an allergy-mediated inflammatory disorder of the esophagus which affects 1 in 700 individuals in the United States. 

Oxidative stress affects the pathogenesis of both these disorders. In our NIH- and VA- funded laboratory, we study how oxidative stress alters cell-cell communication in the development and progression of esophageal inflammation and cancer, with the ultimate goal of identifying new therapeutic targets. We test our hypotheses in vivo with mouse models and in vitro with patient-derived samples.