Jaclyn Strauss

Finding New Ways to Prevent and Treat Disease

JACLYN STRAUSS

Jaclyn Strauss has experienced firsthand how truly devastating Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is. Affecting over 200,000 Canadians, the onset of IBD often occurs during late adolescence and early adulthood, thus robbing those affected of a healthy body during the prime of their lives. A cure for IBD continues to elude us, as does a clear and defined understanding of the causes of IBD. Jaclyn is hoping to change all that.

A PhD student from the University of Guelph who is striving to become a clinician-scientist, Jaclyn is a recent recipient of a Doctoral Research Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Canadian Digestive Health Foundation (CDHF). She is examining the role of the bacterium Fusobacterium nucleatum in IBD. Her work to date has determined that strains of F. nucleatum isolated from IBD patients tend to be more virulent than those isolated from healthy individuals. Jaclyn is trying to identify genes responsible for these differences. This could lead to early identification of people at risk of developing IBD and the development of therapeutic options for treating this devastating disease.

"Receiving the CIHR-CDHF award is truly the highlight of my academic career," says Jaclyn. "It is the greatest honour I could receive at this stage of my studies. I am very passionate about digestive health research - particularly research related to Inflammatory Bowel Disease. This award will enable me to continue my own personal quest to find a cure for IBD and develop the skills needed to become a leader in gastroenterology research."

Over 20 million Canadians are afflicted with digestive disorder and the number of Canadians suffering from undefined or undiagnosed digestive ailments continues to rise. These ailments not only affect the quality of life of those suffering, but also place a heavy burden on the health care system. "Continued funding for research is essential to understanding what contributes to digestive health and disease," asserts the aspiring clinician-scientist. "We need to find ways to prevent and treat disease and ultimately improve the health of Canadians."