Research Overview —
Neurogenic bowel (NB) affects 60% of people with spinal cord injury (SCI) and is characterized by slow colonic transit, constipation, and chronic abdominal pain. NB rarely resolves and tends to worsen over time, making it a long-term physical and psychological challenge for people with SCI, their caregivers, and physicians. The knowledge gap surrounding NB mechanisms after SCI means that interventions are primarily symptom-focused and largely ineffective. Using a translational spinal contusion injury mouse model that recapitulates the clinical NB symptoms of SCI patients, I aim to identify the mechanism(s) that initiate and maintain NB after SCI as a critically important step towards the development of evidence-based, novel therapeutic options for NB.
Publications —
Eller, O., Willits, A., Young, E., Baumbauer, K. (2022). Non-pharmacological therapeutic interventions for the treatment of spinal cord injury-induced pain. Frontiers in Pain Research.
Kader, L., Willits, A., Young, E. (2022). Editorial: The impact of Micro RNA-320a serum level on severity of symptoms and cerebral processing of pain in patients with fibromyalgia. Oxford University Press: Pain Medicine.
Beierle, J., Yao, E., Goldstein, S., Scotellaro, J., Sena, K., Linnertz, C., Willits, A., Kader, L., Young, E., Peltz, G., Emili, A., Ferris, M., Bryant, C. (2022). Genetic basis of thermal nociceptive sensitivity and brain weight in BALB/c reduced complexity cross. Molecular Pain 18, 17448069221079540.
Willits, A.*, Dourson, A.*, Raut, N., Kader, L., Young, E., Jankowski, M., Chibambaran, V. (2021). Genetic and epigenetic mechanisms influencing acute to chronic postsurgical pain transitions in pediatrics: preclinical to clinical evidence. Canadian Journal of Pain 6,2.
*Both authors contributed equally to this work
Willits, A.B., Grossi, V., Glidden, N.C., Hyams, J.S., and Young, E.E. (2021). Identification of a pain-specific gene expression profile for pediatric recurrent abdominal pain. Frontiers in Pain Research 2, 759634.
Herman, J.A., Willits, A.B., and Bellemer, A. (2018). Gαq and Phospholipase Cβ signaling regulate nociceptor sensitivity in Drosophila melanogaster larvae. PeerJ 6, e5632.
Presentations —
Implications for inflammation and host-microbiome interactions in bowel pain and dysfunction after spinal cord injury. European Pain School, University of Siena, Siena, Italy, 2022.
Implications for inflammation and host-microbiome interactions in neurogenic bowel after spinal cord injury. Neuroscience Seminar Series, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA, 2022.
Willits A., Eller O., Kader L., Baumbauer K., Young E. (2022). Implications for inflammation and host-microbiome interactions in bowel dysfunction and pain after spinal cord injury. 2022 United States Association for the Study of Pain Annual Scientific Meeting, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Willits A., Eller O., Kader L., Baumbauer K., Young E. (2022). Implications for inflammation and host-microbiome interactions in bowel dysfunction and pain after spinal cord injury. Student Research Forum, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
Willits A., Eller O., Kader L., Baumbauer K., Young E. (2022). Implications for inflammation and host-microbiome interactions in bowel dysfunction and pain after spinal cord injury. Kansas Idea Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (K-INBRE) Symposium. University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS.
Implications for inflammation and host-microbiome interactions in neurogenic bowel after spinal cord injury. (2022). Neuroscience Seminar Series, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS.
Willits A., Eller O., Kader L., Roberts E., Bye B., Myers M., Baumbauer K., Young E. (2021). Spinal Cord Injury-Induced Chronic Pain: A Role For Bacterial Translocation And DNA Damage In Bowel Pain After Injury. Student Research Forum, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS.
Bowel-specific changes after spinal cord injury: implications for inflammation and host-microbiome interactions in bowel dysfunction and pain. (2022). Neuroscience Seminar Series, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS.
Willits A., Eller O., Kader L., Roberts E., Bye B., Myers M., Baumbauer K., Young E. (2021). Spinal Cord Injury-Induced Chronic Pain: A Role For Bacterial Translocation And DNA Damage In Bowel Pain After Injury. Gulf Coast Consortium Translational Pain Research and Texas Pain Research Consortia, Rice University, Houston, TX.
Awards and Honors —
- Kansas T32 Training Program in Neurological and Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Medical Center, August 2022
- Scholar, European Pain School, Siena, Italy, June 2022
- Student Government Council Travel Award, KU Medical Center, April 2022
- United States Association for the Study of Pain Travel Award, Cincinnati, Ohio, April 2022
- Poster Competition First Place Winner in Group, Student Research Forum, KU Medical Center, April 2022
- Biomedical Research Training Program (BRTP) Grant, KU Medical Center, January 2022
- Poster Competition Overall Second Place Winner, Student Research Forum, KU Medical Center, May 2021
- Data Blitz Honoree, Gulf Coast Consortium Translational Pain Research and Texas Pain Research Consortia, Rice University, May 2021.