Education & Training
Dr. Khoruts has trained at the University of Minnesota. In addition to completing his fellowship in gastroenterology, he also trained in basic immunology as a Howard Hughes Physician Fellow under the mentorship of Dr. Marc Jenkins in the Department of Microbiology Primary Clinical Interests
Immune disorders involving the gastrointestinal tract.
Clinical Activities
HGI Endoscopy: Maple Grove ASC, Riverside Endoscopy Center
General Gastroenterology Clinic: Maple Grove ASC
Capsule Endoscopy
Esophageal Motility
Board Certification
Gastroenterology Areas of Research
Active primary areas of investigation include both basic immunology and translational research:
- Regulatory Foxp3+ CD4 T cells (Tregs). This subset of T cells is critically involved in maintenance of immunologic tolerance. These cells emerge from the thymus, but may also be induced de novo from mature T cells following exposure to an antigen under specific stimulation conditions. Induction of Tregs may be important in treating autoimmune diseases and encourage tolerance to transplanted organs. The two major questions pursued in the laboratory include mechanisms of Treg induction and the role of Tregs in maintaining diversity of the conventional T cell population.
- The role of intestinal microbiota in gastrointestinal disease. A major effort is currently being developed to identify th intestinal microorganisms that may be protective against Clostridium difficile associated disease. Specifically, research is conducted to characterize the microbial composition of the colon before and after bacteriotherapy by way of fecal transfer in patients suffering from recurrent or refractory Clostridium difficile infection. This work is conducted in collaboration with Dr. Michael Sadowsky in the Department of Soil, Water and Climcate and the BioTechnology Institute.
Dr. Khoruts is also involved in a number of collaborative projects with other investigators. Topics include: - Immune reconstitution of the gut-associated immune tissues in patients with HIV infection (PI: Dr. Timothy Schacker).
- Effects of diabetes on gastric innervation (PI: Dr. William Kennedy).
Selected Publications:
Winstead, C.J., Fraser, J.M., and A. Khoruts. 2008. Regulatory CD4+CD25_Foxp3+ T cells selectively inhibit the spontaneous form of lymphopenia-induced proliferation of naive T cells. J. Immunol. 180:7305-7317.
Kang, J., Huddleston, S.J., Fraser, J.M., and A. Khoruts. 2008. De novo induction of antigen-specific CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells in vivo following systemic antigen administration accompanied by blockade of mTOR. J Leukoc. Biol. 83:1230-1239.
Hataye, J., Moon, J.J., Khoruts, A., Reilly, C.S., and M.K. Jenkins. 2006. Naive and memory CD4+ T cell survival controlled by clonal abundance. Science 312:114-116.
Hagen, K., Moses, C.T., Drasler, E.F., Podetz-Pedersen, K., Jameson, S.C., and A. Khoruts. 2004. A role for CD28 in lymphopenia-induced proliferation of CD4 T cells. J. Immunol. 173:3909-3915.
Thorstenson, K.M., and A. Khoruts. 2001. Generation of anergic and potentially immunoregulatory CD25+CD24+ T cells in vivo following induction of peripheral tolerance with intravenous or oral antigen. J. Immunol. 188-195.
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Contact Information Phone: 612-625-8999
Fax: 612-625-5620
Email: khoru001@umn.edu
Address:
Dept. of Medicine
GI Division, MMC 36
420 Delaware St. S.E.
Minneapolis, MN 55455
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