Daniel Mulder

DANIEL MULDER

Daniel Mulder hopes to improve the lives of Canadians through the innovative research he is conducting. As one of three young investigators to receive joint funding from the Canadian Digestive Health Foundation (CDHF) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) in 2010, this passionate young investigator from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario hopes his research will help scientists and physicians better understand a new disease called eosinophilic esophagitis and ultimately help those who suffer from this disease.

Eosinophilic esophagitis is a condition where the wall of the esophagus (the tube that connects the throat to the stomach) becomes filled with large numbers of white blood cells (leukocytes) called eosinophils. Leukocytes are one type of cell that result in inflammation and are associated with allergic reactions. Inflammation resulting from eosinophilic causes those affected to have trouble swallowing solid food which often becomes lodged in the esophagus. It is not known what causes this reaction and why only certain people are affected. Daniel is taking a broad approach to investigating this disease by looking at everything from the patient's symptoms to changes in the DNA in their esophagus to try and find the answers.

Historically, very little attention has been paid to the immunology of the esophagus but this new disease is changing all that. Eosinophilic esophagitis is becoming increasingly common and is now almost as widespread as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) which affects over 200,000 Canadians. Affecting children and adults, eosinophilic esophagitis seems to be more prevalent in young boys and men.

"I am honoured to be funded as a graduate student - especially as it is becoming more difficult to obtain financial support for research," says Daniel. "These funds will directly increase the impact of my work by allowing me to devote more time and, most importantly, more resources, to my research."

Daniel states that understanding digestive disease through research has an invaluable effect on the health of Canadians. He asserts that digestive health research not only improves measurable outcomes such as inflammation and symptoms but also has an enormous impact on the immeasurable social effects and reduced quality of life issues digestive diseases have on individuals.