Gary Mawe

Dr. Gary Mawe is an Adjunct Professor with the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Cumming School of Medicine, at the University of Calgary, and is the Samuel W Thayer Professor of Neurological Sciences with the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont. At the University of Vermont, Dr. Mawe directs an NIH-funded research program that is focused on the neuronal control of gut and biliary motility in health and disease. One of Dr. Mawe major teaching responsibilities is directing a human gross anatomy course, and he is Director of the Anatomical Gift Program at the Larner College of Medicine. For approximately two decades, Dr. Mawe has enjoyed an extremely active collaboration with Dr. Keith Sharkey. Together, they have systematically investigated inflammation-induced neuroplasticity in the enteric nervous system, and this work has, so far, resulted in 31 publications.

Most recently, Dr. Mawe and is colleagues have concentrated on pathophysiological changes in mucosal serotonin signaling, enteric neuronal excitability, and neuromuscular transmission that likely contribute to altered gut function in colitis, functional GI disorders, and multiple sclerosis. One goal of his current research is to investigate the mechanisms by which inflammation and autoantibodies can lead to changes in the neural circuitry of the colon, and how these changes impact on tissue functions. Another focus involves potential therapeutic opportunities that could be gained by stimulating 5-HT4 receptors located on intestinal epithelial. These receptors were discovered and investigated in a collaboration between Drs. Mawe, Sharkey and MacNaughton, and their findings have demonstrated that 5-HT4 agonists acting on these epithelial receptors can promote intestinal motility and secretion, and also attenuate colitis. A third area of focus in the Mawe lab involves testing whether probiotic bacterial strains that synthesize tryptophan are able to influence serotonin signaling in the gut, and in turn, enhance motility.