World-renowned pediatric gastroenterologist, research scientist and entreprenuer Alessio Fasano, M.D., founded the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research in 1996. The Center for Celiac Research offers state-of-the art research, teaching and clinical expertise for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of gluten-related disorders, including celiac disease, wheat allergy and gluten sensitivity.

A native of Salerno, Italy, Dr. Fasano completed his medical training at the University of Naples and founded the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition in 1993. Ten years later, he published the groundbreaking study in the Annals of Medicine that established the prevalence rate of celiac disease at one in 133 people in the U.S.

A firm believer in the serendipitous discoveries that result from collaboration, Dr. Fasano leads a team of approximately 30 researchers in nine countries and enjoys research partnerships with institutions around the world. His research focuses on the mucosal biology of the gut and transcends the disciplines of microbiology, physiology, and molecular and cell biology. The “Fasano team” discovered bacterial toxins that cause diarrhea, leading to the development of new vaccines. Their work also led to the discovery in 2000 of the ancient molecule “zonulin,” which regulates the impermeability of the intestine in a condition also known as “leaky gut.”

Dr. Fasano’s research has linked an overproduction of zonulin to the pathogenesis of a series of autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes, celiac disease and multiple sclerosis. Widely sought after by national and international media for his expertise on celiac disease, gluten disorders and intestinal permeability, Dr. Fasano has been featured in hundreds of interviews including media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal; NPR; New York Times Magazine; Bloomberg News; USA Today; Los Angeles Times; “Good Morning America”; The Globe and Mail; Vogue; and numerous health-related websites and magazines.

Dr. Fasano has published more than 200 peer-reviewed papers and has filed more than 160 patent applications. An elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, he has received numerous awards for his translational science and other achievements. He has been named as one of America’s Top Doctors by Castle Connolly for five consecutive years (2007-2011) and was a 2005 finalist for the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award. The Daily Record in Baltimore has named Fasano as an Influential Marylander in 2011, Innovator of the Year in 2005 and a Physician Health Care Hero in 2004.

His other honors include the 2006 Best Academic/Industry Collaboration Award from the Greater Baltimore Committee, the 2006 Entepreneur of the Year Award from the University of Maryland, and the 2009 Researcher of the Year Award from the University of Maryland. His students also have selected him twice as Teacher of the Year. His research has been funded by the National Insitutes of Health without interruption since 1995.

Dr. Fasano and his team of international researchers continue to unravel complex molecular mysteries, leading to a greater understanding of the complicated nature of gluten-related disorders, including celiac disease, gluten sensitivity and wheat allergy. As director of the Center for Celiac Research, he spearheads its mission to increase awareness of celiac disease and improve the quality of life and support for people with celiac disease and their families.

* The Mucosal Biology Research Center, founded in 2005 by Dr. Fasano, is an organized research center within the University of Maryland School of Medicine that houses the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research.

Dr. Fasano’s research focuses on mucosal biology, crossing the disciplines of microbiology, molecular and cell biology, and physiology. By focusing on the cross talk between enteric pathogens and their hosts, Dr. Fasano’s group have elucidate various intracellular signaling pathways that govern eukaryotic cell functions. Among others, Dr. Fasano discovered and characterized several new bacterial toxins involved in the pathogenesis of diarrheal diseases. This information has been used to develop new attenuated vaccines, including cholera and shigella. The characterization of one of these toxins (Zonula Occludens Toxin from Vibrio cholerae) led to the discovery of a molecule, named zonulin, involved in the regulation of the permeability of intercellular tight junctions of epithelial and endothelial barriers. This discovery shed light on the regulation of molecules trafficking between body compartments and mechanisms of innate immunity. Dr. Fasano’s research has linked zonulin to the pathogenesis of a series of autoimmune diseases, including type 1-diabetes, celiac disease, and multiple sclerosis. This information was used to create a platform research plan with ramifications in embryogenesis, drug, antigen, and gene delivery, immunomodulation, and prevention and treatment of inflammatory, autoimmune, and neoplastic diseases.