Project Details
Gut health and integrity is a major complication with many small animal patients, particularly during inflammatory diseases such as pancreatitis and post-operatively following intestinal surgery. There is no easy (i.e. cage-side) and reliable way in which to assess or to monitor gut health in small animal patients.
Intestinal fatty acid binding protein (iFABP), also known as FABP2 is specially expressed in the small intestine of mammals. It enables transportation of lipids from the intestinal lumen to enterocytes. When intestinal mucosal damage occurs, iFABP is released into the circulation and is considered to be a marker of gut barrier integrity in people.
There are multiple ELISA kits available for measuring iFABP in several species (human, mouse, guinea pig) but the assay has not been validated in dogs.
This project would consist of:
- Performing a validation study of the ELISA assessing linearity and range, precision (%CV inert and intra assay), sensitivity, accuracy (spiked samples), recovery and robustness (different storage conditions) in canine samples.
- Following validation, measurement of iFABP in samples from normal dogs and dogs with acute pancreatitis.
Expected outcomes: The student will develop familiarity with benchtop procedures and how to appropriately perform assay validation. Once completed, the student will be able to propose a clinical study that accurately determines whether iFABP may be useful in veterinary practice and/or research.
