معرفی
Dr. Alan Lomax is a Professor in the Department of Medicine and Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences at Queen's University. He holds cross appointments in the Gastrointestinal Diseases Research Unit and the Centre for Neuroscience Studies. His research focuses on neuroimmunological mechanisms underlying inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), particularly the interactions between microbiota, the nervous system, and the immune system. He investigates neuroplasticity in enteric neurons and factors suppressing adult neurogenesis in the enteric nervous system.
Dr. Lomax completed his PhD at the University of Melbourne and postdoctoral training at the University of Calgary before joining Queen's in 2006. His laboratory employs techniques such as electrophysiology, microscopy, Ca²+ imaging, and PCR. Funding sources include the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, The Weston Foundation, and Crohn's and Colitis Canada. He actively recruits graduate and postdoctoral researchers.
Research interests include microbial modulation of visceral sensation, protease-mediated neuronal effects, and the role of IL-17A in neuroplasticity. Collaborations with clinicians at Kingston General Hospital enable translational studies using patient biopsies and microbiota.
Key publications from 2020–2014 highlight studies on microbial-neuronal interactions, opioid receptor signaling in pain, and neuroimmune plasticity in colitis. His work bridges basic science and clinical applications in gastrointestinal disorders.
