David Shih, MD, PhD Assistant Director, Basic Research, Inflammatory Bowel and Immunobiology Research Institute, Gastroenterology
Email: david.shih@csmc.edu Phone: (310) 423-4100 Fax: (310) 423-0224

Academic Appointments

Awards and Activities

Research Focus

To better understand the functional effect of genetic variants of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) genes, autophagy, and host-microbe interaction in the immunopathophysiology of IBD through the use of molecular, cellular, genetically modified mice, and human tissue models.

Research Contributions

1. Generation of murine models of inflammatory bowel disease.
2. Characterized the role of microbial organisms in the induction of an inflammatory bowel disease associated gene TL1A (TNFSF15).
3. The role of hepatocyte nuclear factors in maturity onset diabetes of the young.

Current investigations include:

1. Transgenic murine models of inflammatory bowel disease.
2. Role of autophagy in gut mucosal inflammation.
3. Mechanism of fibrostenotic disease in inflammatory bowel disease.
4. Genotype-phenotype characterization of inflammatory bowel disease associated genes.
5. Clinical outcomes of concomitant infection (eg CMV) in inflammatory bowel disease flare.
6. Thiopurine (6MP and Azathiopurine) metabolism.

Selected Publications

1. Huang BL, Chandra S, Shih DQ: Skin manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease. Front Physiol, 3: 13, 2012
2. Vora P, Shih DQ, McGovern DP, Targan SR: Current concepts on the immunopathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. Front Biosci (Elite Ed), 4: 1451-77, 2012
3. Barrett R, Zhang X, Koon HW, Vu M, Chang JY, Yeager N, Nguyen MA, Michelsen KS, Berel D, Pothoulakis C, Targan SR, Shih DQ: Constitutive TL1A expression under colitogenic conditions modulates the severity and location of gut mucosal inflammation and induces fibrostenosis. Am. J. Pathol., 180(2): 636-49, 2011
4. Bradford K, Shih DQ: Optimizing 6-mercaptopurine and azathioprine therapy in the management of inflammatory bowel disease. World J. Gastroenterol., 17(37): 4166-73, 2011
5. Koon HW, Shih DQ, Chen J, Bakirtzi K, Hing TC, Law I, Ho S, Ichikawa R, Zhao D, Xu H, Gallo R, Dempsey P, Cheng G, Targan SR, Pothoulakis C: Cathelicidin signaling via the Toll-like receptor protects against colitis in mice. Gastroenterology, 141(5): 1852-63.e1-3, 2011
6. Shih DQ, Barrett R, Zhang X, Yeager N, Koon HW, Phaosawasdi P, Song Y, Ko B, Wong MH, Michelsen KS, Martins G, Pothoulakis C, Targan SR: Constitutive TL1A (TNFSF15) expression on lymphoid or myeloid cells leads to mild intestinal inflammation and fibrosis. PLoS ONE, 6(1): e16090, 2011