Projects per year
Personal profile
Research interests
Dr. Thomas Ma’s research focus for more than 25 years has been to delineate the role of defective intestinal epithelial tight junction (TJ) barrier in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Long-term goals of the Ma Laboratory have been:
- to delineate the intracellular processes that regulate the intestinal epithelial TJ barrier under normal physiological conditions;
- to elucidate the pathogenic mechanism involved in dysregulation of intestinal TJ barrier in IBD; and
- to discover novel therapeutic agents to enhance the intestinal TJ barrier during disease states.
Ongoing research efforts have resulted in a number of important scientific advancements that have impacted the current understanding of the intestinal TJ barrier regulation in health and in disease states.
The laboratory has extensive expertise delineating the intracellular and molecular mechanisms of intestinal TJ barrier regulation in in-vitro (cell-culture) and in-vivo (live mouse intestinal permeability studies) models, using cutting-edge cell biology and molecular approaches. Dr. Ma’s research has been continuously funded since 1990 by VA and NIH grants to study the mechanisms that regulate the intestinal TJ barrier and intestinal inflammation.
In addition to his own work, Dr. Ma has chaired several NIH and Veterans Affairs study sections and panels. He also serves or has served on the editorial board or as a reviewer for more than 25 journals.
Clinical interests
Consistent with his research interests, Dr. Thomas Ma’s clinical expertise is in the management of inflammatory bowel disease. He has been involved in number of clinical trials and investigator-initiated clinical studies related to defects in the intestinal barrier in inflammatory bowel disease, necrotizing enterocolitis and alcoholic hepatitis.
Teaching and educational interests
Dr. Thomas Ma has mentored undergraduate students, graduate students, medical students, postdoctoral research fellows, gastroenterology fellows and junior faculty throughout his career. He has moderated and/or organized educational symposia at the institutional, regional and national levels.
Professional information
Diplomate, American Board of Internal Medicine, 1988
Member, American Gastroenterological Association, 1988 to present
Diplomate, American Board of Gastroenterology, 1991, 2001 and 2013
Member, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1994 to present
Fellow, American College of Gastroenterology, 1999 to present
Fellow, American College of Physicians – American Society of Internal Medicine, 2003 to present
Member, American Physiological Society, 2005 to present
Education/Academic qualification
Gastroenterology, Fellowship, University of California Irvine School of Medicine
… → 1990
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, University of California Irvine School of Medicine
… → 1990
Internal Medicine, Residency, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
… → 1987
Medicinal Chemistry, PhD, Virginia Commonwealth University
… → 1985
MD, The Medical College of Virginia
… → 1983
Biology/General Science, BS, Fordham University
… → 1978
External positions
Editor in Chief, World Journal of Gastrointestinal Pathophysiology
2011 → 2020
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Network
Projects
- 2 Finished
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Bifidobacterium bifidum modulation of intestinal barrier and intestinal inflammation
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
7/1/16 → 6/30/21
Project: Research project
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Regulation of Intestinal Paracellular Permeability
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
6/1/03 → 7/31/20
Project: Research project
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NASHFit: A randomized controlled trial of an exercise training program to reduce clotting risk in patients with NASH
Stine, J. G., Schreibman, I. R., Faust, A. J., Dahmus, J., Stern, B., Soriano, C., Rivas, G., Hummer, B., Kimball, S. R., Geyer, N. R., Chinchilli, V. M., Loomba, R., Schmitz, K., Sciamanna, C., Strine, C., Wentzel, R., Marlin, S., Sica, C., Vesek, J., Eyster, E. & 24 others, , Jul 2022, In: Hepatology. 76, 1, p. 172-185 14 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
3 Scopus citations -
AP2M1 mediates autophagy-induced CLDN2 (claudin 2) degradation through endocytosis and interaction with LC3 and reduces intestinal epithelial tight junction permeability
Ganapathy, A. S., Saha, K., Suchanec, E., Singh, V., Verma, A., Yochum, G., Koltun, W., Nighot, M., Ma, T. & Nighot, P., 2021, (Accepted/In press) In: Autophagy.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
1 Scopus citations -
Bifidobacterium bifidum enhances the intestinal epithelial tight junction barrier and protects against intestinal inflammation by targeting the toll-like receptor-2 pathway in an nf-κb-independent manner
Al-Sadi, R., Dharmaprakash, V., Nighot, P., Guo, S., Nighot, M., Do, T. & Ma, T. Y., Aug 1 2021, In: International journal of molecular sciences. 22, 15, 8070.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access3 Scopus citations -
Endocytosis of Intestinal Tight Junction Proteins: In Time and Space
Nighot, P. & Ma, T., Feb 1 2021, In: Inflammatory bowel diseases. 27, 2, p. 283-290 8 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
4 Scopus citations -
IL-1β and the Intestinal Epithelial Tight Junction Barrier
Kaminsky, L. W., Al-Sadi, R. & Ma, T. Y., Oct 25 2021, In: Frontiers in immunology. 12, 767456.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Open Access4 Scopus citations
Prizes
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Career Citation Milestone Award - D (500) Club
Broach, James (Recipient), Coates, Matthew (Recipient), Duffy, C. (Recipient), Gardner, Andrew (Recipient), Gill, Donald (Recipient), Helm, Klaus (Recipient), Kimball, Scot (Recipient), Leslie, Douglas (Recipient), Lipton, Allan (Recipient), Ma, Thomas (Recipient), Naccarelli, Gerald (Recipient), Schmitz, Kathryn (Recipient), Siedlecki, Christopher (Recipient), Stoute, Jose (Recipient), Tombran-Tink, J. (Recipient) & Wang, Hong-Gang (Recipient), 2020
Prize
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