Alessio Fasano is an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

-born medical doctor, pediatric

gastroenterologist Gastroenterology (from the Greek gastḗr- "belly", -énteron "intestine", and -logía "study of") is the branch of medicine focused on the digestive system and its disorders. The digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract, sometime ...

and researcher. He currently holds many roles, including professor of pediatrics at

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...

and professor of nutrition at

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is the public health school at Harvard University, located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. It was named after Hong Kong entrepreneur Chan Tseng-hsi in 2014 following a US$350 ...

, both in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. He serves as director of the Center for Celiac Research and Treatment at MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGH''f''C) and co-director of the Harvard Medical School Celiac Research Program. In addition, he is director of the Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center at MGH''f''C, where he oversees a research program with approximately 50 scientists and staff researching a variety of acute and chronic inflammatory diseases, including

cystic fibrosis Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder inherited in an autosomal recessive manner that impairs the normal clearance of Sputum, mucus from the lungs, which facilitates the colonization and infection of the lungs by bacteria, notably ''Staphy ...

celiac disease Coeliac disease (British English) or celiac disease (American English) is a long-term autoimmune disorder, primarily affecting the small intestine. Patients develop intolerance to gluten, which is present in foods such as wheat, rye, spel ...

, enteric infections and

necrotizing enterocolitis Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is an intestinal disease that affects premature or very low birth weight infants. Symptoms may include poor feeding, bloating, decreased activity, blood in the stool, vomiting of bile, multi-organ failure, and p ...

. A common theme of these programs is the study of the emerging role of the gut microbiome in health and disease. Fasano is also the scientific director of the European Biomedical Research Institute of Salerno (EBRIS) in Italy. Along with these leadership positions, he is a practicing outpatient clinician in pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition and the division chief.

Education

After graduating summa cum laude from the

University of Naples The University of Naples Federico II (; , ) is a public university, public research university in Naples, Campania, Italy. Established in 1224 and named after its founder, Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II, it is the oldest public, s ...

School of Medicine in Italy (medicine and surgery), Fasano undertook intensive medical internships and residency in pediatrics, emergency medicine, and pediatric social medicine. After completing his final internship in 1993, he joined the faculty of the

University of Maryland School of Medicine The University of Maryland School of Medicine (abbreviated UMSOM), located in Baltimore City, Maryland, U.S., is the medical school of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and is affiliated with the University of Maryland Medical Center and ...

in Baltimore, Maryland, as an associate professor, became a professor of pediatrics, medicine, and physiology in 1996, and remained in teaching roles at the university for over 20 years. He founded the Center for Celiac Research in 1996, which he moved to

Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is a teaching hospital located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the original and largest clinical education and research facility of Harvard Medical School/Harvar ...

in 2003. He is still an active professor of pediatrics and nutrition.

Work

Fasano began his career as a pediatric gastroenterologist interested in treating debilitating diarrhea, as well as a researcher determined to find a vaccine for

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

. He was responsible for the discovery of several new

enterotoxin An enterotoxin is a protein exotoxin released by a microorganism that targets the intestines. They can be chromosomally or plasmid encoded. They are heat labile (> 60 °C), of low molecular weight and water-soluble. Enterotoxins are frequently cy ...

s involved in the diarrheal pathogenesis of several pathogens, including ''

Shigella ''Shigella'' is a genus of bacteria that is Gram negative, facultatively anaerobic, non–spore-forming, nonmotile, rod shaped, and is genetically nested within ''Escherichia''. The genus is named after Kiyoshi Shiga, who discovered it in 1 ...

E. coli ''Escherichia coli'' ( )Wells, J. C. (2000) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow ngland Pearson Education Ltd. is a gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus ''Escherichia'' that is commonly foun ...

'', and '' V. cholerae''. These discoveries led to the engineering of attenuated enteric vaccines, some of them currently used in clinical practice. The course of this research path eventually led him and his team to the "serendipitous" discovery of

zonulin Zonulin (haptoglobin 2 precursor) is a protein that increases the permeability of tight junctions between cells of the wall of the digestive tract. It was discovered in 2000 by Alessio Fasano and his team at the University of Maryland School of ...

in 2000, a protein responsible for regulating intestinal tight-junctions. His major research focus then shifted to the study of

intestinal permeability Intestinal permeability is a term describing the control of material passing from inside the gastrointestinal tract through the cells lining the gut wall, into the rest of the body. The intestine normally exhibits some permeability, which allows n ...

, the pathophysiology of the paracellular pathway, and how disruption of gut barrier function factors into chronic inflammatory disease development. His current research focuses include intestinal mucosal biology and immunology, the gut microbiome, and bacterial pathogenesis, as well as the immune host response. His clinical specialty lays in

gluten-related disorders Gluten-related disorders is the term for the diseases triggered by gluten, including celiac disease (CD), non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), gluten ataxia, dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) and wheat allergy. The umbrella category has also been r ...

(celiac disease, wheat allergy, non-celiac gluten sensitivity) as well as other

autoimmune In immunology, autoimmunity is the system of immune responses of an organism against its own healthy cells, tissues and other normal body constituents. Any disease resulting from this type of immune response is termed an " autoimmune disease" ...

and inflammatory disorders (

diabetes mellitus type 1 Type 1 diabetes (T1D), formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body's immune system destroys pancreatic cells (beta cells). In healthy persons, beta cells produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone required ...

autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

schizophrenia Schizophrenia () is a mental disorder characterized variously by hallucinations (typically, Auditory hallucination#Schizophrenia, hearing voices), delusions, thought disorder, disorganized thinking and behavior, and Reduced affect display, f ...

, and others). He is currently on the Scientific Advisory Board of

Seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

Impact

Fasano is considered an expert and pioneering researcher worldwide in the field of celiac disease and bacterial pathogenesis. Not only did he found the premier celiac research center in the United States, but the impact of his more than 300 peer-reviewed journal publications and 160 patents has greatly shaped and advanced the knowledge of a multitude of chronic inflammatory diseases and immune diseases. He was among the top 1 percent cited scientists worldwide based on Web of Science Group'
annual list of Highly Cited Researchers
Throughout his career, he has prioritized and advocated for his patients by disseminating his research to the general public along with expansive outreach efforts. He often collaborates with celiac support organizations and government agencies to work toward this goal, and actively participates in fundraising efforts for the Center for Celiac Research and Treatment. He is the author of multiple books and has been featured in journals, magazines and interviews for the general public. He has published numerous groundbreaking research studies, including the 2000 discovery of the zonulin protein and its regulation and modulation of intestinal permeability. In 2003, he published the results of the epidemiological study that demonstrated the prevalence of celiac disease in the U.S. to be far higher than previously thought, at a rate of 1 in 133 persons. His work also contributed to the development of an anti-tissue transglutaminase (tTG) diagnostic test for celiac disease, that is part of standard diagnostic testing for celiac disease.

Awards

Fasano has received several awards for his work. Some notable awards include:

Book publications

* ''Fast Facts. Celiac Disease.'' By Fasano A, Holmes G, Catassi C. Oxford: Health Press, 2009. * ''Gluten Freedom.'' By Fasano A, Flaherty S.

Wiley Wiley may refer to: Locations *Wiley, Colorado, a U.S. town *Wiley, Georgia, an U.S. unincorporated community * Wiley, Pleasants County, West Virginia, U.S. * Wiley-Kaserne, a district of the city of Neu-Ulm, Germany People *Wiley (musician), ...

, 2014. * ''Senza glutine. La celiachia non si cura, si gestisce'' (in Italian). By Fasano A.

Mondadori Arnoldo Mondadori Editore () is the biggest publishing company in Italy. History The company was founded in 1907 in Ostiglia by 18-year-old Arnoldo Mondadori who began his publishing career with the publication of the magazine ''Luce!''. In 19 ...

, 2017. * ''Se libérer du gluten: Le guide référence de la sensibilité au gluten et de la maladie coeliaque (Essai-Santé) (French Edition).'' By Fasano A.

Marabout In the Muslim world, the marabout () is a Sayyid, descendant of Muhammad (Arabic: سـيّد, Romanization of Arabic, romanized: ''sayyid'' and ''sidi'' in the Maghreb) and a Islam, Muslim religious leader and teacher who historically had the f ...

, 2017. * ''A Clinical Guide to Gluten-Related Disorders'' Paperback. By Fasano A. LWW, 2013. * ''Frontiers in Celiac Disease.'' By Fasano A, Troncone R, Branski D, eds. S. Karger Publishers, 2008. * ''From Ptolemaus to Copernicus: The Evolving System of Gluten-Related Disorder''. By Catassi C, Fasano A. Mdpi AG, 2018. * ''Dieta Sem Glúten - Um Guia Essencial Para Uma Vida Saudável (in Portuguese).'' By Fasano A, Flaherty S, Rocha B. Madras, 2015. * ''Gut Feelings: The Microbiome and Our Health.'' By Fasano A, Flaherty S.

MIT Press The MIT Press is the university press of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The MIT Press publishes a number of academic journals and has been a pioneer in the Open Ac ...

, 2021.

Cited publications

Fasano has authored (or co-authored) over 300 peer-reviewed publications. Some high-impact publications include: * * * * * * * * *

References

External links

https://hms.harvard.edu/ *

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/ *Center for Celiac Research and Treatment https://www.massgeneral.org/children/celiac-disease *MassGeneral Hospital for Children https://www.massgeneral.org/children *Harvard Medical School Celiac Research Program https://hms.harvard.edu/departments/hms-celiac-research-program *Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center https://www.massgeneral.org/children/mucosal-immunology *European Biomedical Research Institute of Salerno https://www.ebris.eu/home-english *

School of Medicine https://www.italymedicalschools.com/university-of-napoli-federico-ii/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Fasano, Alessio Italian pediatricians Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Italian gastroenterologists Harvard Medical School faculty University of Naples Federico II alumni University of Maryland, Baltimore faculty